Though Israel's southern Arava region has experienced a boom in solar infrastructure in the past decade, the public position on local solar installations has thus far been unknown. We sought to understand the level of acceptance of solar fields among southern Arava communities and identify the factors that contribute to acceptance. We distributed surveys to five kibbutz communities to gauge their attitudes about local solar installations. We also held semi-standardized interviews with stakeholders. Our data points to strong acceptance of solar technology in this region, both in principle and specific to their local installations. We identified several factors that contribute to this high level of support including asset co-ownership, communal decision making, and transparent communication.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Dipersio, Thomas P
• Liedtke, Nicoli M
• Wallace, Alexandra B
• Rosenthal, Aaron R

Subject

• Environment
• Community

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• E-project-032318-123205

Keyword

• Photovoltaic power systems
• Solar energy
• Sustainability
• Educational surveys--Design

Advisor

• Bar-On, Isa

Year

• 2018

Center

• Israel Project Center (Eilat) - IQP

Sponsor

• Arava Institute for Environmental Studies

Date created

• 2018-03-23

Resource type

• Interactive Qualifying Project

Rights statement

• In Copyright

Last modified

• 2021-01-29