Israel is Turning Abandoned Fish Ponds Into Solar Powerhouses

The demand for clean solar energy is rising. Around the world, governments and communities are finding creative solutions to expand solar power.

This includes Israel, where abandoned fish ponds are being transformed into solar energy farms, The Times of Israel reports. Emek HaMaayanot, a verdant but hot valley along the country’s eastern border, is about to become a solar energy hub.

Abandoned Fish Ponds
The Emek HaMaayanot Regional Council was a major center in Israel’s fishpond industry. Eighty-five percent of Israel’s fishpond industry is concentrated in this regional council, which is home to around 17,000 residents. But changes to water regulations about a decade ago hit the industry hard, and now many of the ponds eventually dried up and were abandoned. The buildup of chemicals and salts made the land unsuitable for returning to agricultural use, leaving parcels unused.

Now, however, a new initiative to turn 1,000 acres of these ponds into solar farms, while rewilding another 500 acres, is bringing change and new life to the area. The solar panels are expected to generate 500 megawatts of clean energy, while the rewilded ponds will help support migratory birds that pass through the region each year.

“The restored nature will support millions of migratory birds. This is a model that transforms reality. To the best of my knowledge, it is the first project of its kind in the world,” Dan Alon, CEO of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, tells The Times of Israel.

Floating Solar Panels
Though most of the ponds in the Emek HaMaayanot project will be dried up and transformed into solar farms, this is not the only way bodies of water can be used for solar energy.

According to Israel Science Info, the solar energy company EDF Renewables commissioned a floating solar power plant in the fish ponds of Kibbutz Lochamei HaGetaot, which is located north of Emek HaMaayanot. The floating solar farm includes 44,000 photovoltaic panels and has a 19-megawatt capacity. In addition, EDF Renewables commissioned a smaller floating solar power plant with a 2-megawatt capacity in a water reservoir in Holga in northern Israel.

Both of these projects are a testament to the fact that creating clean energy requires creativity and a willingness to think outside the box. Many solar energy plants are located in the desert, where there are vast expanses of empty, sunny space. However, as the innovative projects in Israel show, sometimes it doesn’t take a desert — all it takes is a fish pond.