05.07.2009

On 8th September 2009, the PUA published the principles, regulations and tariffs for the generation of electricity from small wind turbines. Consumers will be able to generate their own electricity for self usage and sell the surplus to the national grid. The maximum output of a domestic wind turbine (household rate) will be 15 kilowatts, and the maximum output of a general customer’s wind turbine (commercial and industrial rate) will be 50 kilowatts. The total quota allowed to receive the rates will be 30 megawatts through 2016.

• The PUA and MNI are once again on track promoting household solar energy system with the PUA abolishing the 50 MW cap for small facilities of up to 15 KW. A new lower tariff however has been set at 1.67 NIS per KWH compared to the previous accepted tariff of 2.04 NS. In addition more industrial photovoltaic solar systems of up to 50 KW can be constructed up to a cap of 120 MW with the tariff being set at 1.51 NIS per KWH decreasing at 7% per annum as of 1.9.2011. The new policy will be implemented as of September 1st 2010.

Electric energy generated through the harnessing of wind. Harnessing the wind is highly dependent upon weather and location. Indeed, wind turbines generate electricity very irregularly, because the wind itself is inconsistent. Therefore wind turbine always need backup power from fossil fuels to keep the electricity grid in balance. Natural gas turbines are probably the best way to do this as they are able to start up quickly, as opposed to coal-fired plants which need to be maintained in a very inefficient standby mode if they are to respond to large fluctuations in power demand, when wind generators stop suddenly. Wind power is thus clearly not reducing the dependence on imported fuels such as natural gas and may even enhance the use of natural gas. The average wind velocity of Earth is around 9 m/sec. The power that could be produced when a wind mill is facing the wind of 16 km/hr is around 50 watts. Germany (installed wind capacity of 21,400 MW in 2007) and Spain (installed capacity of 14,700 MW) are Europe’s leading producers of wind power. One of the main problems with wind power is the space it requires for setting up wind farms. Another problem is the intermittency of wind and its destabilizing effect on the grid that requires stable transmission of energy so that wind power complicates power system balancing >

The transmission of electricity by an entity that does not own or directly use the power it is transmitting. Wholesale wheeling is the sale and delivery of energy among buyers and sellers in the wholesale market, whereas retail wheeling allows power producers direct access to retail customers

Sector that consumes a lot of electricity

Waste heat, or rather residual heat refers to heat produced by equipment and industrial processes for which no useful application is found, and is regarded as a waste by-product. Power stations and manufacturing plants waste a staggering amount of energy, with power plants sometimes wasting two-thirds of the energy they produce. If the heat is at a such low temperature that it is not possible to recuperate it and generate with it any useful energy, or work (in whatever form), then it is not “wasted” (Carnot’s Law). Only if it is at a sufficiently high temperature where, if desired, it may be utilized for another process and this is not done, can it be defined as residual heat