Largest PV plant in Israel officially opens

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

Sunpower Israel inaugurated the commercial operation of the largest solar power plant in Israel on Tuesday 6 August.

The 10MW facility is near the Mivtahim settlement in the Negev Desert, about 10km east of Gaza.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

In attendance at the launch ceremony were Israel’s energy and water minister Silvan Shalom and representatives from Noy Fund and Enlight Energy, investment partners in the project.

The power plant will span 25 hectares and generate around 22GWh per year, providing electricity for around 3,000 homes. Around NIS150 million (US$42 million) investment was required for the project, which took around seven months to construct.

The Negev Desert is an area of high solar irradiance which is also mostly unsuitable for arable farming, making it a practical location for a PV plant. Electricity will be sold to the grid under Israel’s feed-in-tariff provisions.

Israel was one of the earliest adopters of solar heating for domestic water use but the adoption of PV generation has been gradual. In 2009, the Israeli Ministry of National Infrastructures set a target to produce 10% of the country’s energy from renewable sources by 2020. The resolution also stipulated that power stations should be constructed at a rate of no less than 250MW per year, from 2010. As of December 2012, only around 1% of Israel’s energy came from renewable sources.

Read Next

July 9, 2025
Caelux has finished the first sale of its perovskite glass, which will be paired with a silicon module developed by a 'reputable manufacturer'.
Premium
July 9, 2025
PV Talk: Jon Previtali of VDE Americas explains the hard science behind managing hail risk, one of the costliest sources of damage to PV projects.
July 9, 2025
Many European countries generated record levels of solar power in the first half of 2025, according to figures from Fraunhofer ISE.
July 9, 2025
Indian solar water pump and motor manufacturer Shakti Pumps has successfully raised INR2.9 billion (US$34.1 million) to build a solar cell and module manufacturing plant.
July 8, 2025
The Chinese government has moved to curb excessive competition in the PV sector and stabilise pricing as companies report growing losses.
July 8, 2025
Germany could install 500GW of new solar agrivoltaics (agriPV) capacity on its most 'suitable' land, according to Fraunhofer ISE.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Media Partners, Solar Media Events
September 2, 2025
Mexico City, Mexico
Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 22, 2025
Bilbao, Spain
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK