CALIFORNIA-ISRAEL-NIGERIA SOLAR CONNECTION

Originally posted May 4.
Nigeria is a nation with a lot of sun and a lack of electricity. Israel is a nation with a lot of solar energy know-how. Perfect combination.

A U.S. environmentalist, commenting on a newly announced solar power plant in Israel’s Negev Desert, attested to Israeli expertise in the field.

Seth Kaplan, senior attorney, U.S. Conservation Law Foundation: "There is intense interest in this sort of 'concentrated solar' technology in parts of the United States, like our desert Southwest, that have similar conditions to the Negev…The U.S. is increasingly looking to Israel for hi-tech innovations…"

According to Israeli solar energy authority Professor David Faiman, the two biggest solar energy installations in the world at present have 80-megawatt capacities. They were constructed under Faiman's supervison in Southern California by Luz, an Israeli company. The new Negev solar power plant will grow to 500 megawatts. No specifics have been announced about the Nigeria plant.

Solel now holds Luz's patents, has made advances and is testing the viability of the Direct Steam Generation (DSG) Loop Luz. Replacing the original oil-heating loop with one that employs DSG in the solar collectors could increase power production 15%. New Solel vacuum tubes have replaced broken tubes in the aging California plants, with 20% to 25% improvement. The California plant upgrades are expected to demonstrate Israeli solar technology to be the best in the world.

Professor David Faiman: "…Solel can verifiably say that local solar technologies are the most advanced in the world with a proven record of high efficiency, high reliability, cleanliness, and low system cost…"

The solar energy plants in the Negev will theoretically produce enough electricity to power Israel - on 225 square kilometers of sun-saturated desert. Nigeria, with a little sun of its own, is in for some New Energy.

California, Israel, Nigeria – a new solar connection. To paraphrase the Beatles, “All you need is sun…”

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Nigeria-Israel firm to build $10m xolar energy plant
27 April 2008, (Business Day Nigeria)
and
Israel to Build World’s Largest Solar Power Plant
April 30, 2008 (Israel21c via Israel National News/Arutz Sheva)

WHO
Israel-Nigeria Cooperative Company (Doron Shimoni, representative); Anthony Ohia-Ezukpo, Nigerian project facilitator; David Faiman, head, Ben-Gurion University National Solar Energy Center

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WHAT
Cooperative will build a $10 million solar power plant in Nigeria.

WHEN
- According to Ohia-Ezukpo, Cooperative will invest $100 million in Nigeria in 2008-09.
- The Negev project should be finished in 2012.

The sun doesn't get much better than that red band across Nigeria's part of Africa. (click to enlarge)

WHERE
According to Shimoni, Israel and Nigeria have longstanding cordial diplomatic and economic relations.

WHY
- Nigeria, like many African nations, is struggling with irregular power supply and rising energy costs.
- Cooperative’s investments will be in the agriculture, energy, health and construction sectors and create 10,000 new jobs.
- The Negev installation will begin at 100 megawatts and grow to 500 megawatts. It will provide some 100 new jobs.
- Luz built 9 California solar power plant installations, 2 15-megawatt plants, 6 30-megawatt plants and 2 80-megawatt plants. All are still operational and there are now plans to expand them.

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QUOTES
- Shimoni, Cooperative: “In the era of global warming and climate change, Nigeria ought not to rely exclusively on fossil fuel…The country should be advancing towards developing modern techniques of energy generation and distribution…”
- Ohia-Ezukpo, facilitator, Cooperative: “There is a lot Nigeria and Israel can do together in the area of agriculture, energy, medicine and construction…Israel will provide the technical expertise for all the projects we will be executing…”
- Prof. David Faiman, director, Solar Energy Center: "Israel is prominent on the world stage for developing solar technology, but until now, we haven't really harnessed that knowledge for our own needs…"