ENERGY
Resources
Israel is characterized by a comprehensive lack of conventional energy
resources. Oil and gas explorations have yielded only negligible
quantities (Israeli oil constitutes 0.2% of national energy
requirements; Israeli gas, 0.3%). Israel has no coal. Substantial
quantities of oil shale have been located, and tentative plans to build
a 1,000 MWt generator to exploit this resource have been drawn.
Conventional hydroelectric power cannot be considered, as there are no
sizeable rivers in Israel. Although as yet it would not be
cost-effective, there remains a future potential to generate
hydroelectric power by exploiting the 400 meter difference in elevation
between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. Biomass potential is
limited, as Israel suffers from both water and land deficiencies. Wind
energy potential exists but is not likely to be developed on a large
scale, due to limited availability of suitable land. Nuclear power
generation is an option.
Solar energy is the one area in which Israel has relatively high
potential. Over 3.2% of national energy requirements are saved through
the widespread use of domestic solar water heaters. All new construction
requires such water heaters. Technological developments are creating
broader and more efficient uses for solar energy, an encouraging trend
both for the national economy and the environment.
Despite promising advances in the field of solar power, only 13% (1,600
MW) of the total installed capacity based on local sources by the year
2015 (Figures 11 and 12). As shown in the figure, maximum exploitation
of local resources at an accelerated rate could amount to 27% of the
total installed capacity. In the upper limit scenario, most power would
be generated from oil shale processing, with only 12% based on renewable
sources. The oil shale scheme would result in the dispersion of
pollution away from the coastal plain, but will accelerate the rise of
CO2 emissions per capita.
Production
Israel's national standard of living has increased steadily since
statehood, with associated energy demands accompanying this growth. In
1950, Israel produced 543 million KWH. In 1989 production reached nearly
20 billion KWH a forty-fold increase! Figures 7 and 8 show how growth
in electricity consumption is distributed throughout various economic
sectors: industrial and household consumption has expanded most rapidly
in recent years. In the late 1980s, energy consumption grew even faster
than the GDP per capita (Figure 9). Per capita energy consumption
remains, however, below that of other industrialized nations.
Electricity in Israel was for many years produced exclusively from oil.
After the energy crisis of the 1970s, sources were diversified to
include coal from friendly Western countries (United States, Germany,
Australia and South Africa). By then, technological advances had made
coal less unappealing, environmentally, than it had been. The first
coal-fueled plant was erected at Hadera (at the center of the coastal
plain), with an installed capacity of 1,400 MW. By 1997 this power
complex will be expanded to an installed capacity of 2,500 MW the
largest power generation center in Israel. A second coal-burning
installation was built in Ashkelon (toward the southern end of the
coastal plain). It has a 1,100 MW capacity. Other plants exist in Haifa
(north) and Ashdod (center-south), and plans are being developed to
expand their capacity. Figure 10 shows annual installed power generation
capacity by plant.
Policy Options
As noted, Israel is almost wholly dependent on outside sources for
energy. Solar energy, the one local, renewable, environmentally secure
source of power in Israel, is being used to heat water for residences
throughout Israel. Solar-generated electricity is the next step, but
remains only a possibility for future development. The most economically
and environmentally sound energy policy for Israel is therefore a
reduction of demand and consumption in all sectors.
Some steps have already been taken. The Ministry of Energy and
Infrastructure has implemented a wide-ranging Energy Conservation
Program, which includes guidance, consultation, standardization and
enforcement activities, and cooperation with fifteen government
agencies. For example, the ministry has developed a joint plan with the
Israel Electric Corporation, designed to reduce consumption by 1 billion
KWH per year through the use of structural thermal insulation, efficient
light bulbs for street lamps and intersections, and mechanisms for load
shifting for minimization of peak-time use. Other aspects of the
ministry's program include enforcement authority over the Energy
Resources Law of 1989, which requires industrial consumers to conduct an
energy survey every five years. The ministry's plan for heating and air
conditioning, if properly implemented, will achieve a 40% savings in
energy consumption. Plans affecting the water management sector include
upgrading the efficiency of existing equipment, exploiting of pressure
surpluses in water distribution systems, and tapping of geothermal
sources. It is estimated that by the year 2000, conservation in all
sectors combined could reach 10% of total energy demand.