Minister Landau and “Amidar” Company are to cooperate in manifesting the “Green Housing” vision of the Ministry of Infrastructure.

The parties met and agreed to make a pilot for installing photovoltaic panels on company houses’ roofs in Be’er Sheva

In a meeting held on Sunday, 26.7.09, between the Minister of National Infrastructure Uzi Landau and his staff and between representatives of “Amidar” Company, headed by chairman David Magen and director-general Ya’kov Brosh, it was agreed to cooperate and promote the installation of electricity-generating photovoltaic panels on the roofs of “Amidar” houses and offices.

“Amidar” Company, in cooperation with the Ministries of Infrastructure and Housing, will carry out a pilot of the “Green Housing” plan on three houses in Be’er Sheva, as the roof of each house will be covered with 400-500 square meters of 50 kilowatt photovoltaic-cell panels. The Minister of National Infrastructure commended the initiative of the Ministry of Housing and “Amidar” Company to install solar devices on its houses’ roofs and to sell electricity to the national grid.

It was agreed, during the meeting that was held in Minister Landau’s office, that “Amidar” shall review the Ministry of Infrastructure’s proposal to increase energetic efficiency in all of its houses, in order to increase electricity savings. 

The Company’s chairman and director-general indicated that the project’s implementation will be quick, and, if all processes are concluded on schedule, the pilot will be active within two months. They said that the company has dozens of potential structures that can be made available for implementation of the “green energy” efforts led by the Ministry of National Infrastructure, including sheltered housing for the elderly, rented houses and office buildings.

Minister Landau said during the meeting: “You provide the roofs and your good will, and our Ministry will back the project and promote it in high gear. We shall work to involve additional private and public bodies, in order to continue manifesting our “green housing” vision”. Landau then added: “Our aim is to make sunny Be’er Sheve, the Negev Region capital, a key element in the “green revolution” and in manifesting the Ministry’s objective, which is to turn the “red roof dream” into “the green housing vision”; and not merely as a pilot”.

David Magen, Chairman of “Amidar” Company said: “The project is supported by the “Amidar” Directorate, which already decided to promote this subject. It is the outcome of many months of administrative work within the company aimed at turning “Amidar” into a “green” company”.

“Amidar” director general, Ya’akov Brosh, said: “We made an economic profitability check and found out that solar roofs are indeed profitable. Based on inspections we made, we feel that these devices can be installed within a very short period of time after the company is contacted”.