Sunday Solar-Power Company to Invest in Arrays on Kibbutzim

By EHUD ZION WALDOKS

The Sunday solar power company announced Sunday that it would invest NIS 500 million over the next two years in photovoltaic solar arrays for kibbutzim across the country. The company recently signed a deal to act as the operational arm of the Kibbutz Movement in the area of solar energy.

The company decided to invest following a recent National Infrastructures Ministry decision to allow medium- sized household solar-power stations from 50 kilowatts (kW) to 5 megawatts (MW) starting next year.

Sunday CEO Kobi Diner said the ministry’s decision was a breakthrough that would eventually lead to meeting the ministry’s goal of 20 percent of Israel’s energy market from renewables by 2020.

In July, the government approved, for the first time ever, a household feed-in tariff for solar-power arrays of up to 50 kW. Individuals can erect solar panels on their roof to provide electricity to their homes or sell the excess back to the grid for a preferred rate. The move prompted a flood of requests worth hundreds of millions of shekels, the company said. A standard array will cost about NIS 70,000 to install.

Sunday also recently beat out five other companies and won the tender to erect solar arrays on the roofs of municipal buildings in Kiryat Ono. In the first stage, Sunday will put a 50 kW station on the roof of the water department. In future stages, the arrays will be installed on the roofs of schools and community centers.

According to Kiryat Ono Mayor Yossi Nashri, “Using solar energy will bring about savings in electricity and public funds, which can then be rerouted to educational projects.”

Last month, Sunday announced plans to install a 50 kW plant at the Karmei Ovdat winery in Har Hanegev.

Currently, 50 kW is the biggest plant that can be erected under the current regulations governing the feed-in tariff.

Originally published by EHUD ZION WALDOKS.

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