Arava Power launched its first solar field in Israel, called Ketura Sun, in Kibbutz Ketura, located in the Arava desert in Israel’s southern-most point near the Red Sea.
The field, which cost about 100 million shekels ($29 million), is spread over approximately 20 acres of land and consists of 18,500 photovoltaic panels that were produced by China’s Suntech Power. In total, the panels are expected to produce about 9 million kilowatts per year, providing enough electricity annually for three average size kibbutzim or collective farms in the region. Arava’s solar power will be transferred to the national grid at a rate of 1.5 shekels ($0.44) per kilowatt-hour.
The array’s location in the southern Arava Valley guarantees more than 2,200 effective hours of sunlight a year and could save up to 60,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.
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