Theoretically, Israel is one of the most advanced "green" countries on the planet due to its expertise in water technology, solar power, agricultural productivity, etc. Practically speaking, more Israeli expertise has been exported to other countries than is used locally. Other than the solar water heater panels which dot the roofs of nearly every home, solar power hasn't been much used here, despite the fact that nearly twothirds of Israel is classified as desert. But that is changing as companies like Project Better Place and Real Housing get off the ground.

"The State of Israel has shown foresight in implementing an appropriate tax policy, and setting out a vision by which it can become the first industrialized nation to end the stranglehold of oil on its economy and environment." [projectbetterplace.com] The way Israel will try to minimize the economic and political effects of heavy oil use is to invest in a nation-wide system of electric cars.

Project Better Place is the brainchild of Shai Agassi, a young Israeli entrepreneur who sold his start-up company for a fortune to software giant SAP, which then employed him to oversee its overall technology strategy and execution. Though Agassi was expected to eventually run SAP, he quit the company in 2007 to start his new project, which is dedicated to using green transportation infrastructure based on electric cars. Agassi quickly gained credibility for the project when he partnered with CEO Carlos Ghosen of Renault-Nissan on the technological side, while Israel Corp and others backed him financially to the tune of $200 million.

The preliminary results of Agassi's efforts are that the Israeli government has fast-tracked this project for the imminent application of Renault's electric-powered vehicle equipped with Nissan's lithium-ion electric battery. The plan is to blanket Israel with hundreds of thousands of power recharging points (electric outlets) and hundreds of battery swap stations. Besides a reasonable price for the vehicles, which is helped by a substantial tax saving incentive, users will forego trips to the gas pump. The plan is to introduce the car to Israel in quantity by 2009, with 100,000 of the vehicles expected to be on the road by the end of 2010. Israel currently has about 2.5 million cars, one of the world's highest car densities per mile of road. This plan coincides with another government initiative to begin offering tax incentives to older-car owners to get polluting vehicles off the roads. Agassi hopes that by 2020 Israel will have practically weaned itself from using oil to power cars.

Electric cars emit far fewer noxious elements into the atmosphere than those with gas or diesel-based engines. But where does the electricity come from to power the cars? Unfortunately, most electricity today in Israel and America is generated from fossil fueled - fired power plants. So the energy needed to power the vehicles may not be oil, but it's still emanating from irreplaceable and environmentally dangerous fossil fuels.

That brings us back to solar power generation. We recently drove south to the Negev desert to check out the model home built by the REAL Housing company (RH). The REAL stands for Renewed Energy for Affordable Living. The company's chairman is Hy Brown, professor of civil engineering at the University of Colorado and Ariel University in Israel. He is a world-renowned engineer who headed projects like the World Trade Center, Disney World, and the Sears Tower. Michael Brandemuehl is also a professor in the same department at the University of Colorado and heads research and development for RH. Shaul Amir, who guided us around the model, is the Israeli connection who's responsible for the nuts and bolts manufacturing and constructing of the homes on-site.

The idea for RH's solar homes resulted from a prize-winning design by students at the University of Colorado, which utilizes surplus 40-by-8-foot shipping containers as the "spine" of a prefabricated home. All the infrastructure (kitchen, baths, heating and cooling equipment, etc.) is located in the spine, with modular units attached depending on the size of the home. The smallest of the four models is a tiny starter house of 70 square meters (735 square feet), while the largest is a very comfortable 240 square meter home (2,500 square feet).

The smaller models make do with one shipping container, while the larger ones utilize two containers for the spine. The additional rooms are built of cement panels, strong and highly energy efficient. The double-paned windows adjust to allow heat between the panes to flow into the rooms in winter, and during the warmer months the reverse process takes place when they funnel the hot air outside. The roof is covered with enough solar panels to accumulate 2 kilowatts of electric power, sufficient to provide enough electricity for regular usage.

Now that Israel's government has finally begun to pay attention to the environment, the Israel Electric Corporation, currently a government monopoly, has approved plans to purchase energy from private producers. So, when the roof's solar panel capacity is full, energy will be routed to the utility. When the panels have insufficient electricity to supply all the required needs, energy will be purchased from the utility, at a cost considerably lower than the sales price. There will be minimal energy costs to RH homes in the north of Israel, while those in the desert areas of southern Israel will probably incur no costs for electricity and hot water and may even see a profit from the solar panels' collection of energy. As a bonus, all RH homes will come equipped with an electric car recharging point. In a year or two's time one might be able to live in a comfortable home and drive an energy-efficient car with no charge for electricity or fuel!

Shaul explained how easy his company is making the purchase of one of their homes. After consulting with their architect, who will decide how to place the home on the purchaser's plot, it will only take about two and a half months to place the completed home on the site. Provided all changes to the interior are made while the plan is still on the drawing board, there will be plenty of flexibility as to the layout. The cost of the completed home, which includes all the highlyefficient appliances and heating and cooling equipment, is comparable to other custom-built homes of the same quality. In other words, there is no premium paid for energy efficiency and therefore no pay-back period to recoup extra costs. Obviously, personal touches and landscaping to the clients' liking will not be included, as is the case generally. On a happy note, Shaul explained how no down-payment will be required in most cases and the house will be paid for only when the key is handed over. This is definitely not the usual procedure when building a home here. [See http://realhousing.com]

With the project for electric-powered cars going full steam ahead and RH homes already being built in a factory in the Galilee region, there is no reason why Israel can't begin to really implement energy-saving methods to improve the local environment while lessening Israel's need to purchase oil, which after all is supplied mostly by our enemies.

Besides REAL Housing, there are numerous other companies developing energy-efficient housing. In other areas, Israel is planning to increase its construction of water desalinization plants in excess of its population growth, instead of building only enough facilities to break even. Israel is a world leader in water desalinization, an industry whose by-product, clean water, is more valuable than oil. And Isaac Berzin, the founder of GreenFuel Technologies in Cambridge Mass., has returned to Israel to help turn Israeli ingenuity into action. Now a senior fellow at the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) in Herzliya, Berzin has plans to build a new Institute for Alternative Energy Policy in Israel under the IDC. [See http://web.israel21c.net] With initiatives like these, Israel may finally be on the way to realizing its potential as a world leader in getting the most out of its environment.

Stephen Kramer resided and worked in the Atlantic City area until 1991, when he moved to Israel with his wife, Michal Langweiler, and two sons. His book "Meandering Through Israel" can be purchased by calling the Jewish Times at 407-0909. He can be reached at Sjk1@jhu.edu.