‘ Israel on track not to reach set energy goals’

Israel will not reach its energy goals, according to a report published Monday by State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman.

In 2008, Israel set the goal of being 20% energy efficient by 2020. Today, it is only 7.5% efficient. At the present rate, it would take until 2030 to achieve the next 17% – or maybe longer.

Among government offices, 47% didn’t report their energy consumption levels to the Energy Ministry in 2018. Among local councils, 44% failed to present such data.

Greenhouse gases emission caused NIS 10.9 billion damage in 2019, the report showed. The NIS 500 million in state loans meant to improve greenhouse gas reduction were never spent.

While Israel did create a goal to reduce the consumption of electric power between 2016 and 2030, it did not set any milestones, budgets or means to monitor its progress.

One such example are the smart meters, electric power meters that are in communication with the Electric Company and offer it needed data to reduce electric power usage. Only 2.8% among electric meters in the country have such technology, and during the past decade, a plan was never put in place to install more.

Tnuda, the national center for information on non- ionizing radiation and its effects on public health, reported that it would cost billions of shekels to introduce smart meters on a national scale.

Another goal that was not reached: that only 20% of Israeli commuters would be using public transportation.

While privately owned car rides increased by 15% in three years ( 20152018), public transportation usage increased by only 2%. The report called on the Transportation Ministry to “form a strategic plan to develop complementary means” to reach the goal of a 20% reduction in private car rides by 2030.

Between 2014 and this year, the country increased its renewable energy production by 100%, but the figures remain low as the leap was from 5% to 10% of all the energy used in the country.

In early 2020, the state failed to reach its goal in wind- turbine produced power, with only 2.6 megawatts to the 730 megawatts that were called for. Only one suitable location for more wind- turbines to be built has been suggested so far.

Despite a government decision from 2016 to place solar panels on government buildings, that hasn’t been done. Nor were educational buildings equipped with such panels.

The report claimed one of the reasons solar power hasn’t been promoted in the country is that it was meant to be built up in the Negev and there has been too much illegal Bedouin building and settlements there.