Israel plugs in the sun by Jessica Steinberg Jerusalem Post July 3, 2005 Israel needs to know how to use its sunny days. With approximately eight months of sun each year, power derived from sunlight can be a vital resource. In these parts, the most common use of solar energy is for the solar water heaters on the roofs of residential buildings. But with proliferating concepts for adapting solar energy for other uses, including home heating and lighting, about a dozen companies are creating sun-based technologies and tools. "There's a real environmental drive behind utilizing solar energy," explains Dave Waimann, managing director of Orionsolar, a solar power startup in Jerusalem's Har Hotzvim business park. "There are all the worldwide issues with carbon dioxide, there's the oil issue, political elements. We need to find ways around the unstable resources." Not surprisingly, several startups are looking to create solar power for use worldwide. In Israel, as in other developed countries, the electrical generating capacity stands at about 1 kilowatt per capita, according to figures from the Ben-Gurion National Solar Energy Center at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. "There are some one billion people worldwide without electricity," says Waimann, whose company specializes in photovoltaic lighting. "They need some kind of cheap option in order to have light in their houses and to watch TV." Solar power is generated in two ways: Solar thermal, where the sun's heat is used to heat water or another working fluid, which in turn drives turbines to create electricity; and photovoltaic, where electricity is produced directly from sunlight, with no moving parts. The concept behind photovoltaic lighting is fairly simple. Photovoltaic (or PV) systems convert light energy into electrical energy. Most commonly known as solar cells, simple PV systems are already powering small calculators and wristwatches. More complicated systems provide power for communications equipment, electricity for homes, satellites and space vehicles. The problem, says Waimann, is that silicon - the material most often used to make PV systems - is too expensive. As a result, solar power is generally more expensive than electricity from coal, oil and other fossil fuels. For now, companies are competing to produce renewable power at a price similar to "traditional dirty sources," Waimann adds. At Orionsolar, the plan is to produce relatively inexpensive, flexible solar panels that could be purchased locally and installed on roofs, providing enough electricity to run a refrigerator, simple lighting and a television. Instead of silicon, they're using dye cell photovoltaics - materials that are cheaper and simpler to produce. Orionsolar's modules look different than the average system, as they are supplied in long flexible sheets. The main ingredients are nano-particles of titanium dioxide, an ingredient commonly found in toothpaste. One 2-meter-long sheet would produce 160 watts of power per hour, and would cost no more than $200 to the consumer. "Our dream is that one day a family in Africa can walk into their corner store, buy a solar sheet and install a system that will give them electricity the same day," Waimann emphasizes. "When our technology works, it will allow access to clean, cheap electricity for the billion people who don't have it now." With global sales of solar cells and modules exceeding $3 billion in 2004, the market is growing at over 25% a year, and strong PV programs in California, Japan and Germany are controlling around 83% of the world market. For now, however, the global race is to produce a cell costing less than $1 per peak watt, with a simple production line. Orionsolar was founded by Jonathan Goldstein, the company's president and chief scientist, and the inventor of the Orion System with 37 patents to his name. Most of Orionsolar's six employees are chemists and consultants, and the company was initially part of a government incubator. Now the company is working on a $3 million to $5 million round of investment in order to fund the production line once the initial prototype is completed by 2006. Waimann said he plans to keep the production line in Jerusalem, given the relatively small size of the product. "The technology has to make prices drop," says Waimann. "If we succeed, no coal power stations will ever be built again."