Hi Everyone! When friends ask me what I think can solve part of the middle-east problems and some of the world problems, I mention a possible future development and/or miracle which I feel will come from Israel. Fossil fuels have been around for centuries but only in the past century have we been utilizing them (and abusing the use). The sun has been around for a long time but only in the past 2-3 decades have we started to utilize it by discoveries of know-how and reduced costs. Solar water heaters throughout Israel and solar battery street lights at isolated areas in Israel are good examples for solar energy use. The Luz solar power plants in California are still in use today and are supplying many homes with clean electricity. Below is an announcement this week that could bring these global changes 1 step closer. It would be super cool if Israel, which has brought many discoveries and inventions to the world (ie: medical), will bring about a new energy revolution and be a literal "light" unto the other nations. Chodesh Tov, Shabbat Shalom, Jacob New technology could cut cost of solar energy by 150% by Amiram Cohen August 26, 2003 http://www.themarker.com/eng/archive/ arc_article.jhtml?ElementId=ac20030826_01e&origin=ibo Arrow missile developer Dov Raviv has developed revolutionary technology for producing solar-powered electricity that can lower the manufacturing cost by 150%, from 5 cents of 1.5-2.0 cents per kilowatt/hour. Raviv's company, MST, will present the technology at an international conference on renewable energy that opens in Jerusalem today. According to Raviv's data, an investment in the construction of solar-powered power plant can be substantially reduced. The technology is based on reducing the production cost of photovoltaic cells and other systems. These cells are capable of producing a voltage when exposed to radiant energy, for instance, light from the sun. Raviv's technology would reduce the construction investment of certain components of the plants from $3-6 million to $850,000. Raviv said the majority of the components involved in solar energy production are simple, but the small-scale demand for them has limited their production to expensive manual methods.