EILOT, SOUTHERN ISRAEL, 16 March 2008 (IRIN) - Residents of the Israeli coastal town of Ashkelon just north of Gaza have been voicing objections to a proposed new coal-fired power station near the port, saying it would further pollute the atmosphere. The port city already has one coal-fired power station.

They may, however, be heartened by a project which aims to supply nearly all of Israel's southern Eilot region with energy from alternative sources, mainly solar.

The project has the support of the local authorities, a growing number of local businesses and Israel's main green coalition, Life and the Environment. It also aims to educate local businesses and the public on energy conservation.

"We welcome this initiative and are happy to see the joint effort of both environmental and commercial partners as well as the municipality and the local residents… We hope this project will lead the way to many more of its kind in Israel," Naor Yerushalmi, a spokesperson for Life and the Environment, told IRIN

The Eilot region uses about 160MW of electricity during peak hours, with all the power being supplied by the existing coal-fired power station in Ashkelon.

The project began in May 2006, and manager Noam Ilan hopes that within five years the goal of living mostly without resorting to the conventional electricity grid will be accomplished. Success in this pilot would mean the implementation of similar projects in Israel and around the world, he said.

The project managers plan to use 3,500 'dunams' (one 'dunam' = 1,000 square metres) in the nearby Park Timna to erect a large solar panel station which will become the project's hub.

"Park Timna is an abandoned mining site… we can use without causing any further damage to the landscape," Ilan said, explaining the choice of the site.

'We are limited in space here in the Negev, as much of the region is occupied by military training areas," he said.

Changing people's attitudes

The solar energy project also aspires to change the way people think. It is now working to promote education on energy conservation in schools and communities as well as in hotels, especially in the southern city of Eilat.

"Simply producing alternative energy is not enough, we must learn to conserve and use it efficiently," Ilan told IRIN, noting that this was important for a country like Israel, which had almost no fossil fuel energy resources like oil or gas.

Eilat Municipality has become deeply involved in the project. It sponsored a three-day convention on alternative energy last June to encourage local businesses and hotel owners to "green-up" their organisations.

Some businesses told IRIN they would need government subsidies to get started, but would not hesitate to contribute themselves to the process.

The Marker, an Israeli business magazine, reported last week that an international energy company intends to invest some US$2.5 billion in the Eilot project, an amount which would give it the boost needed to become reality.

Area "greening up"

Throughout the region, changes are taking place. In Kibbutz Lotan, outside Eilat, residents and volunteers are currently constructing "eco-homes" with solar panels able to supply most domestic energy needs. In neighbouring Kibbutz Ktora an experimental solar energy station is already operating.

Experts say Israel could supply a large percentage of the country's electricity needs by using solar energy.

A spokesperson for the national electricity company told IRIN that it views such projects favourably "and has expressed agreement to assess the possibility of a joint venture in the project".

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