Zenith turns an Israeli kibbutz solar

According to Solar Feeds website, ZenithSolar, an Israeli start-up company to license revolutionary solar energy technologies, will be launching its first “solar farm” in April 2009 based on Concentrated Photovoltaic (CPV) systems. Developed by Prof. David Faiman, Chairman of the Department of Solar Energy and Environmental Physics at the University’s Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, the system will harvest more than 70% of incoming solar energy (as compared to industry norms of 10% to 40%).

Journalists are invited on March 22, 2009 to Kvuzat Yavne for the first site visit and briefing to learn firsthand how this unique technology will generate electricity and thermal energy (hot water) for the Kibbutz and ultimately other Israel neighborhoods.
ZenithSolar is set to develop and mass produce the most reliable cogeneration solar power system – with a full vertically integrated strategy – that can be deployed as a distributed energy network. Founded in 2006, The ZenithSolar system is price competitive with traditional forms of energy without government subsidies. ZenithSolar concentrated solar energy generation system is based on a new paradigm in optical design and high-efficiency solar cells.
Additional link: http://www.zenithsolar.com/

South Africans Make Aliyah at Western Wall

Article on Arutz Sheva Aprill 22, 2009
By Hillel Fendel

Over 85 new immigrants of all ages from South Africa and Zimbabwe arriving in Israel today (Wednesday) will receive their citizenship at a unique group ceremony at the Western Wall on Thursday.

The arrival of the Jewish Agency flight at Ben Gurion International Airport will contribute to the increasing Aliyah numbers from South Africa. Some 340 Jews moved to Israel from the country in 2008, twice as many as in the year before. This flight is the third one bringing South African Jews this year.

South African Jews at Western Wall

The Jewish Agency will hold a special Absorption Day for the new Israelis at the Shalom Hotel in Jerusalem's Bayit V’gan neighborhood on Thursday morning. Representatives of various government and important offices, such as the National Insurance Institute, the health funds, phone companies, the Ministry of Absorption, and others, will be on hand.

At 4 p.m, the new immigrants will receive their ID cards in a unique ceremony at the Western Wall. Such cards are usually granted without fanfare in an Absorption Ministry office.

On hand for the occasion will be Jewish Agency Treasurer and former Meretz MK Haggai Merom, South African Jewry lay-leader Mendel Kaplan, and representatives of the Friendship Fund.

Some 65,000 Jews still live in South Africa, including 45,000 in Johannesburg and 15,000 in Capetown. Some 21,000 South African Jews have made Aliyah since the inception of the State of Israel.

Seeing through walls

Article by The Israel High-Tech & Investment Report
Published in April's issue.

The ability to see through solid, non-transparent walls is a capability that everyone can immediately find applications for. For people who operate in hostile environments this ability can be the difference between success and failure of an operation. Failure may spell out casualties. The need for this technology has existed for a long time and now the Xaver 800 is mature to deliver this capability in a compact, portable device.

The Xaver 800 system creates an operational unfair advantage to the one who operates it. It pretty much changes the rules of the game, allowing a real shift in operational paradigms. Forces can plan ahead and beyond the wall they stand in front of, significantly increasing their mission success probability while protecting their lives. The Xaver 800 is microwave radar that is capable of penetrating walls and creating an image of objects behind those walls by picking up the reflected energy from those objects. The system provides information regarding the number of people, their location and orientation, as well as the shape of the room.

Xaver™400 Video Presentation

The system is basically a radar system, but with several unique characteristics. First and foremost, the operational environment is very different than ordinary radars, for air traffic control. Ordinary radar operates in free space over large distances and transmits very high power levels. The xavier system needs to penetrate walls and provide high resolution over relatively short distances. In addition, due to the fact that there are people in the immediate vicinity of the system we must keep microwave radiation at safe levels. The design utilizes special antenna design and an ultra wideband (UWB) signal to cope with the challenge. The use of UWB signal provides design simplicity on one hand, but required innovative implementation on the other. The Xaver 800 can see through most commonly used wall materials, e.g. clay brick, cinder blocks, reinforced concrete, plaster dry wall, wood, adobe and stone.

The system provides situational awareness of a room or building by providing information of how many people are behind the wall or walls; it also provides information on the structure of the building or rooms. Getting information from behind solid walls allows better preparation of an operation: reducing surprises, ensuring efficient use of resources and eventually saving lives.

Applications include:
* Military urban operations
* Hostage rescue
* Victim search and rescue

The Xaver 800 is a portable system. It weighs 15Kg/33lb and it folds to a compact 47cmX47cmX15cm ( 19" x 19" x 6") that can be easily carried and operated by a single person. The system consists of two parts - Front end (FE), which is the sensor part and Back end (BE), which is the operating and display unit. The two parts may be either attached to each other or connected by cable. Unfolding the sensor and mounting the system on a tripod takes less than one minute. The Xaver 800 delivers images within 15 seconds from pressing the ON/OFF button.

IDF Makes Technological Advancements for Missile Defense System

Article published on April 7, 2009
By Israel Defense Forces

On Tuesday (April 7), the IDF carried out a test launch of the Arrow II Missile Defense System; this system is a part of a program that is designed to improve security methods in Israel and in the United States. During the test, a missile that simulates a possible threat to Israel was launched and shortly thereafter, the system's radar identified the missile and sent the data to the Data Management Center, who then fired the Arrow in order to intercept it.

Arrow Missile. Photo: IAF Website

During the test launch, representatives from the Ministry of Defense, the U.S. Department of Defense, and representatives from relevant industries, were present. Sources from within the Ministry of Defense clarified that the success of the project constitutes an important step in the long term plan to develop operational capabilities that are able to provide a solution to the threat of ballistic missiles being launched at Israel.

The Minister of Defense, Ehud Barak, was briefed regarding the results of the test launch and said, "This is a project that is important for the State of Israel. The integration of the Arrow System together with the 'Iron Dome,' which also produced successful results during a test launch last week, will provide the best protection for immediate strategic threats. The security apparatus works intensively in order to provide a defense system against missiles and thus to ensure the safety of Israeli citizens."

Two weeks ago, there was a successful test launch of the Iron Dome, which is designed to provide protection against short-range missiles and rockets such as Qassams and Grad rockets, while the Arrow system is intended for long-range, ballistic missiles that can come from enemy countries.