"The establishment of additional solar projects are an integral part of the reconstruction and growth process"/PR
The climate crisis and its consequences for the planet preoccupy all the developed countries, which recently gathered at the United Nations Climate Conference in an attempt to minimize its damage. One of the obvious solutions is the transition to producing electricity from renewable energies (sun, wind, etc.) instead of polluting fuels.
According to a report by the International Energy Agency that was recently published, renewable energy will become within three years the largest source of electricity in the world and will provide 35% of energy consumption while overtaking electricity production from coal.
But while in Europe renewable energy was the source of more than 22% of electricity production last year, a report recently published by the Ministry of Environmental Protection shows that Israel is still dependent on polluting fuels.
Only 10% of the electricity produced in Israel comes from renewable energies, still far from the goal that Israel has set for itself for 2030, which is 30%.
Even with us, the experts claim, the solution includes subsidizing electricity production from biogas, streamlining energy consumption and, of course, an accelerated transition to renewable energies combined with storage.
"We are in a construction boom of solar projects, but in order to meet the goals, and accelerate the transition to renewable energies, three key things are necessary."
Ykki Neuman, CEO of the Doral Group, explains. "First of all, the construction of additional projects with dual use of the land - there is not enough vacant land in Israel for large land projects, so projects need to be built above agriculture, water reservoirs, roofs, etc.
Second - energy storage, which will allow the use of solar electricity for more hours throughout the day.
The third factor is a free market - starting in 2024, the reform in the electricity sector came into force, which allows - the sale of electricity between producers like us and the general public.
When the demand for electricity comes from the public, from the companies, it accelerates the event.
We need to remove bureaucratic barriers and let entrepreneurs build the projects."
Even in times of war: "The decentralization of sources is the key to energy security"
beyond the environmental and economic benefits of setting up solar projects combined with storage, in this period, the importance of the energy security they can provide also sharpens.
"If, God forbid, a power plant is damaged, the extent of the damage to the electricity sector could be dramatic," Neuman explains.
"On the other hand, decentralization of the electricity production facilities reduces the dependence on one central production source and the electricity reserves from the batteries in the storage facilities can be a substitute for the generator and supply electricity when needed. Also, one of the advantages of solar projects during a crisis is that even if some of the panels are damaged, the solar field still produces Electricity and can be fixed relatively easily."
How did the war affect you?
"Several of our partner kibbutzim are located in the south of Israel and have suffered damage in the war, and we also have partners in the settlements of the conflict line in the north. We stand by them and help where possible. We have always been in continuous contact with the communities there and now it is even more so. Naturally, a small part of the projects were also damaged and quickly repaired , so that there was no real impact on their activities. We are continuing the construction of projects all over the country - from north to south. I am convinced that the construction of additional solar projects are an integral part of the reconstruction and growth process. It is good for the electricity sector, it is good for the economy, it is good for agriculture and the environment , and this is a critical component of Israel's energy security."
Doral was ready before everyone else for the formal introduction of the field in Israel.
CEO of Doral, Yikki Neuman/Micah Loubton
From small projects on rooftops to huge projects around the world,
Neumann knows the field of solar energy very well, as someone who has been working in it since his early days in Israel.
"Doral Energy is by definition the pioneer of renewable energies in Israel," notes Neumann.
"Doral was established in 1999 as a real estate and property management company and we established its energy activity in 2007. Our first activity in the field, which was the first in Israel at all, was the installation of a solar system on the roofs of the Ha'asha neighborhood in one of the kibbutzim in Israel.
That's actually where our intensive activity and focus on the broad field of renewable energies began.
"You have to remember that in those days the concept of solar energy was not known in Israel and we had no one to learn how to carry out these projects in a technical way. I traveled to study the field in various countries where it was already developed, first of all Germany, which was the leader in renewable energies at the time. Thanks to this preparation , we were ready before everyone else for the introduction of the field formally in Israel."
The formal change did happen, only a year after Doral entered the depth of the field.
"In 2008, the state came out for the first time with a tariff regulation in which it was determined that anyone who installs a solar system on the roofs of buildings will receive a very high rate compared to what is customary today. In view of our early readiness, we were the first company to install a solar system on the roof of a building in the industrial area of Katzrin, which brings in high profits from the electricity produced there." .
This commercial system was Doral's official starting point in the field of green electricity.
The company has evolved over the years, expanding its solar system configurations - from small rooftop projects, to large ground projects incorporating energy storage, as well as agro-voltaic projects.
Avocado next to solar panels.
layers/public relations
Avocado next to the solar panels: between green electricity and food security
Doral is a leader in establishing projects of this type, which make joint use of the area for both solar energy production and advanced agriculture, so that both parties benefit.
"We developed this field and after a period of research and experimentation, we are the first to have already established projects in Israel in a commercial form, for example in Kibbutz Rabadi, where avocados are grown alongside the solar panels or in the solar grape vineyards in Ma'ale Gilboa. These projects attract international attention, since they solve two important issues - electricity Green and food security" adds Neumann.
Today, with partnerships with over 240 kibbutzim in Israel (out of a total of 270 kibbutzim), hundreds of projects in Israel and around the world that already produce and store green electricity and many more that are in the process of being established, the company is a name in the field.
Starting in 2024, Doral will also start selling the green electricity it produces to large consumers, as a green electricity supplier.
Doral's Indiana North project in the USA - one of the largest projects in the world/PR
The largest project in the USA
in 2019 The company expanded to global operations, mainly in the USA, where the subsidiary Doral Renewables LLC was established, which is currently establishing the largest project in the USA, the first part of which has been completed these days.
"We made a decision to locate land in places right in the US and to develop this activity there and that's how it really happened," says Neuman.
"Within a few years, we managed to locate land in over 20 countries, most of them on the east coast of the USA, the most prominent of which is the state of Indiana where we signed deals with over 60 landowners in a vast total area of over 50 thousand dunams, as the geographical area of Tel Spring - Jaffa.
The pace of construction there is relatively fast.
The first meeting with the first land owner was in the first quarter of 2020, last year we closed the approval process and a major financial closing in the amount of 500 million dollars and today we have already completed the construction of the first part of the project.
The project as a whole is expected to produce a huge amount of about 1.6 gigawatts of green electricity.
This is just one of many - we have other large projects in states like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Ohio, Delaware, and more."
What do you think makes Doral unique in the American market?
"Doral offers customers the best value chain.
What leads us throughout the years is self-development of the entire value chain starting with direct contact with the land owner, project development, licenses, permits and licenses, financing and construction of the project and its holding over the years.
We manage to develop the projects ourselves while bringing readiness for construction worth a few million dollars, while later on, when the project actually reaches this readiness, it is worth much more, sometimes 10 and 20 times the original amount."
And in general, if you were to try to define the essence of the company, you Its great uniqueness, what phrase would you use?
"Originality, innovation and partnership."
We were the first to set up a commercial system at the beginning, the first to set up a system for storing electricity in Kibbutz Ma'ale Gilboa and the AgroVoltay Barbadi project, the first to set up a green hydrogen facility near Kibbutz Yatva.
Doral relies on its relationship and connection to innovation and is not afraid to invest and establish commercial projects based on those innovative technologies - all of this, of course, in cooperation with our partners on the way."
Yuval Golan, in collaboration with Doral
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