Ashalim Power Station

The Ashalim power station is a future solar power station to be established in the Negev desert near the kibbutz of Ashalim, (south of the district city of Be'er Sheva) in Israel. The station will provide 121 Megawatt of electricity (2.0% of the Israeli consumption), which makes it the largest of its kind in Israel and 5th largest in the world.^[1]

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The station will combine 3 kinds of energy: solar thermal energy, photovoltaic energy, and natural gas. A 30MW PV plant is planned, and as well as a 121 MW CSP plant, by Megalim Solar Power, a joint venture between Brightsource and Alstom. A second CSP plant will also be built.^[4] The station is expected to commence electricity production in 2017.

Reasons for building the power station

According to a press release of the National Infrastructure Minister of Israel, the establishment has several motivations:

1. Economic motivation: Reducing imports thus balancing the trade and releasing foreign currency.
2. Political motivation: Reducing strategic dependence on foreign energy sources.
3. Environmental motivation: Reducing contamination levels.
4. Scientific motivation: pushing forward local technology and science, adapting new technologies from abroad.

See also

• List of solar thermal power stations

References

External links

• Weizmann Institute of Science - Center for Energy Research
• CSP plants and projects plotted on Google Earth