Arava Power Company builds First Solar Field in Israel
When looking out across the desert, some people marvel over expanses of flat land that stretch between magnificent mountains. Others take in the clear blue sky. Some people, however, see potential. David Rosenblatt of New Jersey, Ed Hofland of Kibbutz Ketura and Yosef Abramowitz founded the Arava Power Company in 2006 with the intention of supplying Israel with 10% of her energy needs through solar power. They envisioned fields of photovoltaic panels that would transform the desert into a source of clean, green energy for Israel. As a country that is 60% desert and with some of the highest levels of solar radiation in the world, Israel is perfectly positioned to take advantage of this natural, free, and renewable resource. Solar energy harnessed by the Arava Power Company is already helping to fulfill 350’s goal of reducing carbon emissions.