Sunday Energy to increase solar energy in Israel through Ormat

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

Israel-based Sunday Energy said this week it had closed a deal to build the largest rooftop solar installation in the Middle East, according to a report from Cleantech Group. Though the plant’s capacity is just 1MW, for Israel it is the beginning of a new solar market, according to Sunday Energy founder and CEO Kobi Dinar. By 2020, the country hopes to reach 20% of energy supplied by renewable sources.

“Israel is an advanced country, but in solar energy Israel is definitely very late in the game,” Dinar told the Cleantech Group. “The government announced a feed-in tariff for solar energy only last July.”

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

Sunday is installing the solar system on 15,000m2 of rooftop on the Yavneh, Israel, factory owned by Nevada-based geothermal developer, Ormat Technologies. The project is expected to be completed in the first half of 2010. After, it is expected to generate $15 million worth of energy over the next 20 years through a power-purchase agreement with Israel Electric Cooperative, the state-owned utility that is the sole supplier of electricity in the country.

Israel Electric will pay 50¢/kW-hour for solar installations up to 50kW—four times more than the current price of electricity for consumers. The tariff for installations larger than 50kW but smaller than 5 MW is still being decided, but it’s expected to be around 40 cents. Currently, Israeli tariffs guarantee a return of about 12 to 15% for 20 to 25 years.

Sunday has installed less than 1MW to date, but has 55MW worth of signed deals in the pipeline. The company expects to install between 4MW and 6MW before the end of 2009, and 15MW next year.

Read Next

September 15, 2025
Norwegian energy firm Statkraft has agreed to divest a portion of its renewable energy portfolio to Serentica Renewables.
September 15, 2025
UNSW spin-out company Lab360 Solar has been awarded funding from ARENA to bring its drone-based PV inspection technology to market.
Premium
September 15, 2025
The UK government and solar industry have jointly published a long-anticipated roadmap detailing how to maximise the country’s solar potential. Chris Hewett, CEO of Solar Energy UK takes a closer look at the details.
September 15, 2025
Australia has reached 26.8GW of installed rooftop solar at the end of the first half of 2025, according to a report from the Clean Energy Council (CIC).
September 15, 2025
Vikram Solar has secured a contract to supply 200MW of modules to AB Energia, a domestic solar engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) solutions provider. 
September 12, 2025
Colombian energy supplier Celsia is seeking more than US$1.2 billion in investment to build wind and solar generation projects in Peru. 

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
October 2, 2025
London,UK
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
Manila, Philippines