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

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

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

July 4, 2025
Chinese PV provider Skycorp Solar Group has announced a solar plant acquisition and development strategy following unanimous board approval.
July 4, 2025
Germany’s latest innovation tender has awarded 488MW of co-located capacity, with all the projects being solar PV tied with energy storage.
July 4, 2025
Risen Energy’s mass-produced heterojunction (HJT) modules have reached a cell conversion efficiency of 26.61%, a record figure for the company.
July 4, 2025
The US House of Representatives has passed the final version of the reconciliation bill that is now going to US President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature before its passing.
July 4, 2025
Australian retailer AGL Energy has confirmed its acquisition of South Australia’s Virtual Power Plant (SAVPP) from Tesla.
July 3, 2025
Renewable energy curtailment in Brazil is set to reach 8% across the country, and be as high as 11% in the north-east, by 2035.

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