Isra-Mart srl: Israel votes through 10 per cent renewable targets

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Israel has become the latest country to announce ambitious renewable energy targets, after the cabinet yesterday voted through a package of measures designed to ensure the country generates a tenth of its energy from renewable sources by 2020.

The government said the plan would result in over $5bn of investment and deliver 1,550MW of renewable electricity capacity by the end of 2014 and 2,760MW by 2020.

"I am proud that the government decided in favor of committing to the gradual production of energy from clean renewable sources," said environmental protection minister Gilad Erdan in a statement reported by The Jerusalem Post. "The decision will contribute to the reduction of air pollution, to the reduction of dependence on foreign energy sources, and will develop Israeli industry and technology, creating thousands of jobs in the periphery."

The new strategy is based on a series of quotas for specific renewable energy technologies.

For example, by 2020 an anticipated 460MW of capacity will be provided by solar farms, 110MW will be generated from rooftop solar panels, 800MW will come from wind power, and 210MW from biofuels and biomass power plants, including waste-to-energy facilities.

The Jerusalem Post reported that 10 per cent of the $5.048bn earmarked for renewable energy investment will be designated for projects on the West Bank.

The targets were broadly welcomed by green groups, although the country's Renewable Energy Association warned that the anticipated increase in energy demand over the coming decade meant that by 2020 new renewables capacity is expected to account for only seven per cent of Israel's total energy mix.

In addition to the targets, the plan approved by the cabinet also includes fresh funding for clean energy research and development, instructions to the Interior Ministry requiring it to remove legislative barriers that hinder the development of renewable energy, and proposals for a new inter-ministerial taskforce designed to ensure government departments are adhering to the new strategy.

Israel is currently largely reliant on coal and natural gas for its energy, including natural gas imported via a pipeline from Egypt that has been disrupted by attacks four times already this year.

As such, increased investment in tapping the country's significant wind and solar energy resources are being positioned as a means of both curbing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing energy security.