A breakthrough in renewable energy generation in Israeli apartment buildings: Today (May 7) at 4:00 pm, five contracts are going to be signed for the first time in Israel, leading to the installation of solar energy systems on the roofs of apartment buildings in Pardes Hanna-Karkur. The apartment owners in these buildings will benefit from the profits gained from generating clean energy without a single shekel coming out of pocket.
The signing has been achieved as part of the "Sun For Everyone" initiative, a joint project of the Israeli Energy Forum NGO, the KKL-JNF and the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructures. They are joined in this effort by a large philanthropic foundation.
In order to advance renewable energy generation in Israel while maximizing the potential of built-up spaces, innovative models need to be implemented, motivating the general public to buy in and play an active role in the energy economy.
A solar roof on apartment buildings is one of the potential models, where the tenants join forces to install a solar energy generation system on the roof of their building.
Apartment buildings make up approximately 80% of the built-up area in Israel. However to date, for a variety of reasons, only a few such buildings have had solar energy systems installed on them. The sign-up by these five buildings as part of the Sun For Everyone project is a breakthrough in this respect, where the hope is that such agreements will be extended to other locations in Israel. The solar energy systems on these buildings will be installed by a leading solar energy company, which will finance the installation and maintain them for 25 years, during which time it will pay the tenant associations out of the revenues generated by the solar energy. The apartment owners do not have to pay a single Shekel out of pocket, while they profit from the production of clean energy.
Sun For Everyone assisted the tenant committees through the process of gaining the tenants' consent and the agreement with the solar energy company. It offers to extend this assistance to any building interested in installing a solar energy system on their roof.
Uriel Babchik, Senior Section Manager in the Sustainable Energy Division at the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructures: "The Ministry of Energy and Infrastructures considers the participation of the apartment buildings in the renewable energy revolution to be of great importance in the effort to meet the national target of 30% clean energy generation by 2030. We commend the cooperation with the Israeli Energy Forum and KKL-JNF and believe that such partnerships will be helpful in gaining buy-in from the general public in favor of the advancement of community energy in Israel".
Dr. Doron Markel, KKL-JNF Chief Scientist: "The climate crisis facing mankind today compels us in Israel, too, to switch to energy generation from renewable sources. In tiny, crowded Israel, the large areas required for solar energy endanger the open spaces and we must therefore put land to double use, achieving maximum renewable energy generation within the built-up area. I am excited about Sun for Everyone - an important joint venture of KKL-JNF and the Israeli Energy Forum, which has recently been joined by the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructures. This project shatters the glass ceiling for rooftop solar energy generating systems in apartment buildings, particularly in the country's periphery, which so far have not dared to dream of such an option.
This is a classic win-win situation, providing benefits for both the periphery and for the battle against the climate crisis".
Einat Dattner, CEO, Israeli Energy Forum: "Apartment buildings are a critical means of achieving the renewable energy generation targets without impacting open spaces. In addition, the installation of solar energy systems is a tool for generating profits for the community, particularly in apartment buildings in the periphery towns. We are delighted to lead the Sun For Everyone project together with our partners. The main goal of this project is to create feasibility for the generation of renewable energy on apartment buildings".
Photo: Yael Cohen Faran