THE GREEN BUSINESS OF ISRAEL HAS ALREADY ITS HEROES.
"As the time of the pioneers of the Internet, Americans are leading the dance, with almost $ 5 billion provided to green start-up last year, mainly in solar, biofuels and solutions to save the energy. Europeans are also in the race (about 1.5 billion dollars), and on different niches: wind energy, waste management, batteries ...
As for the Israelis (more than 100 million dollars in funding year past, according to a survey Valley Israel), they focus on solar photovoltaic and water treatment. And the crisis does not slow the influx of money: According to Ernst & Young, there will always be money for this field this year but start-up of the Internet and biotechnology will suffer...
The green business has its young prodigies, like Shai Agassi. The Israeli 40 years was a leader of SAP, the world's No. 1 software company, when he left everything to start in late 2007, a project that could revolutionize the automotive industry. Based in Palo Alto in the heart of Silicon Valley's start-up Better Place intends to set up logistics for imposing the electric car: a network of terminals to "full" power and especially gas stations of a new genre, where drivers could quickly change a battery.
Two years after creating his company, Agassi has already raised $ 200 million to finance this ambitious vision. He also concluded agreements with the Israeli and Danish governments to build its first two facilities. Additional level of credibility, Renault-Nissan has committed to offering the lease, in 2011, electric cars are compatible with the system designed by Better Place, equipped with batteries with a life of 160 kilometers. "--
