The Technion has formed key partnerships with Israeli clean energy companies SolarEdge Technologies and Doral Energy to accelerate the research and development of scalable renewable energy solutions
Amid a global climate crisis, the Technion has formed key partnerships with Israeli clean energy companies SolarEdge Technologies and Doral Energy to accelerate the research and development of scalable renewable energy solutions. The partnerships will support research and commercial applications in renewable energy, energy storage, hydrogen production, carbon capture, environmental infrastructure, and more.
These academia-industry collaborative projects come as the concentration of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reaches record highs, directly affecting the global climate and human health. Concerned and eager to contribute to international efforts to mitigate future climate change impacts, the Technion is partnering with two companies that are internationally recognized for their innovative solar, wind, wastewater, and energy storage solutions. The partnerships will expand the Institute’s research capabilities, enhance students’ academic experience, and support collaboration that can yield breakthroughs to address global challenges.
Opening the door to unique opportunities
In the context of the industry-academia partnerships, Doral Energy-Tech Ventures, the innovation and investment arm of Doral Renewable Energy Resources Group, will invest in various renewable energy, energy storage and climate change projects, including the Nancy and Stephen Grand Technology Energy Program (GTEP) research initiatives, Technion DRIVE Accelerator startups, and advanced applied research from the Technion Transfer Unit (T3).
This partnership will provide Doral with unique opportunities for entrepreneurship, investing in breakthrough technologies,
and strengthening its position as a leader in its field.
In addition, Technion researchers will enjoy access to Doral Group’s global and Israeli sites to develop and promote technologies that will address the climate crisis. According to Roee Furman, CEO of Doral Energy-Tech Ventures: “The Technion has world-renowned researchers, as well as some of the most advanced laboratory infrastructure in the world. This engagement with the Technion will provide Doral with additional and unique opportunities for entrepreneurship, locating and investing in breakthrough technologies, and strengthening its position as a pioneer and leader in its field.”
“A sustainable energy powerhouse”
Another partnership promoting a more sustainable future, is that of the Technion and SolarEdge Technologies, a global leader in the solar energy industry, developing solutions to efficiently collect and manage photovoltaic energy systems, which have been installed across five continents.
SolarEdge is providing research grants and scholarships for promising students, and will also contribute to the establishment of PEARL (Power Electronics and Renewable Energy Lab) in the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering. It will also host a biennial energy hackathon for students, and fund tours of GTEP for high schoolers.
The Director of GTEP, Prof. Yoed Tsur of the Wolfson Faculty of Chemical Engineering, recently hosted a ceremony in memory of the late Technion graduate, CEO and cofounder of SolarEdge Technologies, Guy Sella. The ceremony inaugurated the Guy Sella Research Prize, awarded to Prof. Gideon Grader of the Wolfson Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Prof. Avner Rothschild of the Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering. Their groundbreaking E-TAC method produces green hydrogen at scale, commercialized through the company H2Pro, which has received funding from Bill Gates and other leading investors.
SolarEdge’s CEO Zvi Lando, also a Technion graduate in Chemical Engineering, said of the initiative, “Guy wanted to make the world a better place. Our mission is to turn Israel into a sustainable energy powerhouse, and with cooperation between academia and industry, we will continue to push the limits and achieve research goals.”
Technion President Prof. Uri Sivan said Guy “certainly left an impact on many people’s lives. The partnership with SolarEdge is a pillar in the strategy that the Technion has been leading in recent years – a true partnership between industry and academia and the removal of boundaries between basic and applied research. Over the next decade, these boundaries will blur even further, and we will realize new breakthroughs and achieve new goals together.”