Ashalim Power Station


The Ashalim power station is a solar power station in the Negev desert near the kibbutz of Ashalim, south of the district city of Be'er Sheva) in Israel. It is a joint venture between Brightsource and Alstom. It has the tallest solar power tower in the world at a height of 260 meters including the boiler, concentrating 50,600 computer-controlled heliostats. Electricity production commenced in September 2019.
The station has an installed capacity of 121 megawatts, enough to power 120000 homes. It produces 320 GWhr of energy per year. The solar tower uses molten salt to allow the plant to operate for up to 4.5 hours after sunset.
When further phases of the project are complete, the station will combine 3 kinds of energy: solar thermal energy, photovoltaic energy, and natural gas. A 30MW PV plant is planned, and a second CSP plant will also be built.

Reasons for building the power station

According to a press release of the National Infrastructure Minister of Israel, the establishment has several motivations:
  1. Economic motivation: reducing imports thus balancing the trade and releasing foreign currency.
  2. Political motivation: reducing strategic dependence on foreign energy sources.
  3. Environmental motivation: reducing contamination levels.
  4. Scientific motivation: pushing forward local technology and science, adapting new technologies from abroad.