A research team of the Triangle R&D won a Horizon 2020 grant within the framework of SOLAR-ERA-NET

The team members developed means to produce solar energy for the benefit of the environment without targeting vast areas to farm wasteland of solar panels? Simply combine the solar collectors in the plastic of the greenhouses and generate electricity

The renewable energy research team of the Triangle R&D, supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology, won a Horizon 2020 grant in the amount of three million shekels. Horizon 2020 is in the research, development and innovation program of the European Union and is today considered the largest in the world.
In the study, the researchers examined how the roofs of greenhouses for growing vegetables can be used to generate electricity. The research was conducted using a state-of-the-art technology called Organic Photovoltaics (OPV) based on semi-transparent solar panels embedded in light plastic sheets, thereby optimizing the use of organic solar energy in greenhouses and simultaneously benefiting from the production of food and electricity, and actually supporting energy conservation in the country and in agriculture in particular.

The use of greenhouses for electricity production is important for several different reasons:
1. Today, there are large areas designated for the production of clean energy, the use of the agricultural areas will lead to the fact that there will be no need to allocate separate areas and thus lead to efficiency and effectiveness in the existing natural resources.
2. In the modern greenhouses that exist today, in order to achieve high yields, a lot of electrical energy is needed, which is produced from oil, gas or coal and has a negative impact on the environment. The use of OPV technology eliminates the consumption of consumable resources and balances the negative environmental impact of the plastic used to cover the greenhouse.
3. With the advancement of technology, many farmers will be able to sell electricity to the national grid and create an additional source of income for themselves that is not exposed to the volatility of the agricultural market.

The research group in renewable energy of R&D which includes Dr. Ibrahim Yahya, Dr. Esther Majdali and Dr. Mahmoud Diav and Michal Ilan. The group includes two Israeli centers: the Triangle R&D and the Volcanic Institute, two Greek universities (the Agricultural University of Athens and the University of Thessaloniki) and a German company that produces panels called Opvius.
Director General of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Shai Lee Spiegelman: "Warm congratulations to the team of researchers. Receiving the grant from Horizon 2020 is undoubtedly an impressive achievement and international recognition that not many reach. The achievement proves the importance of the research and its groundbreaking nature. The research field of renewable energy has been gaining momentum in recent years and it is a great pride that a research and development center in Israel, in the triangle, is a partner in the global effort to promote and increase the use of renewable energy on the user side. The Ministry of Science and Technology will continue to support, develop and encourage the existence and performance of research and applied development in the peripheral areas, by researchers from the region and for the region and mutual rapprochement between science and the community in general and the community in the periphery in particular."

Dr. Ibrahim Yahya, R&D of the Triangle: "An important step for research and development, we have been working on the research for eight years. During the project we carried out three previous studies in which it was proven that with the help of this technology it is possible to produce electrical energy without any decrease in the agricultural harvest, with our goal being to cover about 120 dunams of greenhouses in Israel and save energy. Throughout the research, the role of the Triangle R&D Center focused on leading the research on the performance of the state-of-the-art panels and the other partners focused on the agricultural performance and the study of the economic/environmental viability of the project"

The Triangle Regional R&D Center is located in Kfar Kara. The relations between the Arab population and the Jewish population in the place excel in successful cooperation and mutual fertilization, both in the active participation in the activities of the R&D center and in the scientific-academic cooperation. The advantage that distinguishes the area is that the R&D center is close to the business and research centers in Israel. The Triangle Regional R&D Center serves as a lever for the development of the region by promoting business entrepreneurship based on innovative and knowledge-rich technologies. To this end, the Triangle Regional R&D Center invests a lot of effort in recruiting scientists and researchers working on important and pioneering issues for the region. For example: improving public health by conducting strategic studies (epidemiology - identifying risk factors for diseases among the Arab population in Israel), promoting alternative agriculture in the Arab society in Israel, especially in the field of spice, food and medicinal plants.
The R&D for the promotion of cooperation between Arab and Jewish scientists living in the region under the slogan "coexistence in science" based on the belief that science is an international and universal language.

More of the topic in Hayadan:

• Improving the efficiency of solar panels using a coating based on corn
• A new development is gaining momentum: transparent solar panels
• The cells work at night