Initiating and Development of  " Private Electricity Producers "  in Israel

Dr. M. Hirsch initiated and assisted the promotion of  "Private Electrical Producers"  Sector in the Israeli Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure

when he was the Leader and Coordinator of the National Wind Energy Program from the end of 1980 to 1990

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Description

The range of  "Private Electricity Producers"  IPP  in the national scale in Israel was initiated first in 1982 by Dr. Moshe Hirsch while he was the leader of the Israel National Wind Energy Program in the Israeli Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure (1980-1990). From 1996 the Ministry has been called: The Ministry of National Infrastructures

The program was accompanied by a committee of experts - “the Wind Energy Exploitation Steering Committee” - and secondary committees taking part of the steering committee. Dr. Moshe Hirsch was also the coordinator of the committees

Due to this initiative, settlements in Israel which took part in that sector enabled direct electricity supply to the national electricity grid utilizing at first renewable energy beyond individual settlements that until then had been settled for a restricted number of demonstration projects in local electricity producing with alternative energies designated for self consumption and supplying the excess electricity only to the grid.

The motivation to Dr. Moshe Hirsch initiative was, giving communities and settlement with potential wind the opportunities to produce electricity utilizing wind energy and delivering it directly to the national electricity grid nearest to the energy producing site and increasing the nation potential.

The first project in the “Private Electricity Producers” category was a demonstration wind turbine at Tel Katif, at the Golan Height in 1985. This project was established as part a of the wind energy exploitation program, following wind potential survey that was executed by the Israeli Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure in collaboration with the cooperative of the settlement Alonei HaBashan during 1983-84

The project was executed by the water foundation “Golan Water Co.” (water infrastructure and supply cooperation of the Golan Height settlements), supported and aided by the Israeli Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure and Dr. Moshe Hirsch as the referee as a part of a wind energy exploitation at the Golan Heights master plan. This plan was a part of the national plan for wind energy exploitation in Israel – that was prepared by Dr. Moshe Hirsch as the program manager in the Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure in collaboration with Golan Water Co.

Integrating “Golan Water Co.” with the wind energy exploitation program was an exchange of the cooperation for receiving the rights to use the oil pipe line “Tapeline” for the cooperation’s goals (connection of water reserves at the Golan Heights) from the Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure. This integration was based on the initiative of Dr. Moshe Hirsch as a response to Professor Dan Zaslavsky (who was the chief scientist of the Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure from August 1983 to December 1984) searching for alternative ways of payments by "Golan Water Co." to the Ministry for the rights of utilizing the Tapeline

Later developments, as a direct result of this initiative mentioned above: establishment and activation of national and public functions to deal with this matter, such as

General background to the “Private Electricity Producers” field

In the course of surveys and on-site testing, accompanied by the meteorological service and the people of the small and medium turbine secondary committee (as part of the wind energy exploitation steering committee in Israel), Dr. Moshe Hirsch had learned that it is possible to increase significantly the wind energy exploitation potential by direct integration of local area’s people wind turbines projects with the national electricity network as a part of the national integration of settlement with the Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure master plan. This is in edition to the integration of the electric company plan at referring sites that are not restricted to settlements territory

Primary initialization of the process took action first in 1982 by Dr. Moshe Hirsch in his preparation of a comprehensive report that presented the national potential based on data summation of more than a year’s field activity and by preparing memos and clarifications, also for the Electricity Administration head at the Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure (Ram Haviv) who was also in charge of the “National Power Plants and Electricity Network by the year 2000 Program”, and for the chief scientist at that time (Professor Haim Eilata) who was also consulted by Dr. Hirsch

Later on Dr. Moshe Hirsch promoting the process with the collaboration of Dr. Ran Mosinzon (R.I.P) who was the head economist of the Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure at that time (and a few years later served as an economist at the Ministry of Treasure)

In this process a pioneer energy-economy document was prepared by Dr. Mosinzon with the help of Dr. Hirsch, and through advancing the relevant factors at the Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure (the electricity management department, the chief scientist and the power plants and electricity networks establishment by the year 2000 committee) and through the Interior Ministry and the electricity company

As a result of this process’s initiation and promotion, a joint committee was established to the Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure and the Israeli Electric Company for observation of this subject and to consolidate a suitable policy for the wind energy exploitation field, and later on for other alternative energies and high energetic efficiency systems to the nation’s economy, such as renewable energy and cogeneration.

As mentioned above, the Tel Katif demonstrational wind turbine project at 1985 was the pioneer in the field of Private Electricity Producers in Israel

Since summer of 1983 the process’s promotion was accelerated with the collaboration of Dr. Moshe Hirsch in cooperation with the chief scientist at that time, Professor Dan Zaslavsky (holding that position since summer of 1983 until the end of 1984) and with the head of the Research & Development at that time Eitan Gur Arie. As the chief scientist Dr. Zaslavsky represented the Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure at the joint committee of the Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure and the Israeli Electricity Company.

During that period, for the first time, Dr. Moshe Hirsch prepared a framework file for the “Private Electricity Producers” in coordination with Professor Dan Zaslavsky and with Eitan Gur Arie. This file was the base for the future development of integration the “Private Electricity Producers” with the national electricity grid with the cooperation of the Israeli Electrical Company - IEC

In the year 2001 Dr. Moshe Hirsch served as member of the experts committee to determine the technical criteria to cogeneration and renewed energy electricity producers at the Ministry of National Infrastructure.  In edition Dr. Hirsch served in 2002 as an expert consultant to the inter-office committee (a joint committee to the Ministry of National Infrastructure and the Ministry of Quality of Environment) for promoting cogeneration and renewable energy implementations

Summary

-The acknowledgment in the electricity producers and supply projects “Private Electricity Producers” since 1985  Tel Katif in the Golan Heights demonstrational wind turbine - to these days and at any time in the future and so  :the establishment and activities of the State of Israel and public’s authorities in this field… Such as