According to Stroud, "A roof can be a very easy place to hide a solar system" (35). Although there are other solar-powered projects underway across the country with the same goal of reducing Israel's dependence on foreign-imported energy sources, these rooftop units remain the most common. For example, Faiman reports that, "Perhaps the most common manifestation of putting the sun to work in Israel are the solar water heaters that cover roof-tops all over the country. Typical domestic units consist of a 150 liter insulated storage tank and a 2 sq.m. flat panel" (3). The units used for most residential applications are highly efficient, and operate using a gravity-driven loop that does not require a water pump; however, the solar-powered water heaters used for larger high-rise housing projects and in a number of kibbutzim are typically pump-driven (Faiman). The typical solar panel and water heating configuration of the residential units used throughout Israel is illustrated in Figure 2 below. Figure 2. Rooftop-mounted solar-powered water heaters in Tel Aviv

Source: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1-7r2wO3aw4/SIIYfXBWJnI/AAAAAAAAAhk/LCIkP6TJupA/s320/tel-aviv-rooftopsE.gif

The solar-powered water heater initiative also helps to promote a sense of community and self-reliance that transcend its immediate energy-saving effects. According to one authority, "These heaters were first installed when the country experienced a fuel supply crisis in the early 1950s. The government responded by severely restricting the times when water could be heated. Israelis in turn...

And David Lehreer. 2008, October 31. "The solar vote." Haaretz.com.
[online] available: http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/the-solar-vote-

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Faimer, David. 2010. "Solar Energy in Israel." Jewish Virtual Library. [online] available:

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Environment/Solar.html.

Hamer, Glenn. 2002, June. "Solar Power 2002." World and I 17(6): 145.

Katsioloudis, Petros J., Stella Bondi and Walter F. Deal. 2009. "Energy from the Skies:

Empowering Future Generations From the Beginning of Civilization, Humans Have Been

Experimenting with the Power of the Sun." The Technology Teacher 68(6): 11-12.

"90% of Israeli Homes Have Solar Water Heaters." 2008. MetaEfficient.com. [online] available:

http://www.metaefficient.com/hot-water-systems/90-of-israel-homes-have-solar-water-heaters.html.

Sandler, Neal. 2008, March 26. "At the Zenith of Solar Energy." BusinessWeek. [online]

available: http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/mar2008/gb20080326_485582.htm?chan=globalbiz_europe+index+page_companies.

Stroud, Sara. 2010. "Feeling the Heat: Under Pressure to Cut Energy Costs, Administrators Will

Find Solar Power a Less Expensive and More Efficient Option than Ever." the

Journal 37(4): 35-36.