Chromagen, an Israeli developer and manufacturer of solar water heating solutions, has entered into a strategic partnership with Milwaukee-based A. O. Smith Corporation. The agreement provides A. O. Smith the exclusive rights to market and distribute Chromagen’s solar collectors for residential and commercial solar water heating systems in the U.S. and Canada, the Solar Thermal Magazine reports.

Under the new partnership, the two companies will also work together to design, develop, and market energy-efficient solar products.

“Chromagen, a pioneer in solar water heating, offers a proven solar product line of consistently high quality, extensive technical capabilities, and a global presence in the rapidly expanding renewables market,” Ajita G. Rajendra, president of A. O. Smith Water Products Company, said in announcing the agreement.

“As A. O. Smith expands its offering of high-efficiency water heating solutions, it is important we team up with the right strategic partners so that together, we can bring the best value to our customers in this rapidly changing market.

Chromagen operates two manufacturing facilities in Israel and distributes products in over 35 countries. Founded in 1962, it recorded sales of about $50 million in 2009.

::Solar Thermal Magazine

Sustainable building is gaining some speed in the Middle East, but at a pace that is powerless against escalating climate damage.  The Gutman Visitation Center’s Living Building in Jerusalem and Qatar’s LEED certified convention center offer good examples of what can and should be done, but we can only hope that influential architects and developers will do more to voluntarily adopt better building standards.

Moshe Safdie, born in Haifa in 1938, immigrated to Canada and graduated from McGill University in 1961.  His architectural career commenced with “Habitat ’67,” designed for the Montreal World Fair, and has developed steadily since.

Although based in Canada and the United States, Safdie set up an office in Jerusalem in the 1970s and played an integral role in developing the old city and linking it with the new city.  He has since participated with Modi’in, Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, and the Rabin Memorial Center not to mention a score of other projects worldwide.  While within the Middle East Safdie’s impressive architectural design has done much to advance peace and honor history, his recent projects abroad are even more impressive given their commitment to promote climate stability.

Peace Building

The United States Institute of Peace recently reported that construction of one such project, its headquarters on the Northwest corner of the National Mall in Washington D.C., has been completed.  According to the website, the building is expected to be fully operational in 2011 and will nurture efforts to “prevent and resolve international conflicts, promote post-conflict stability and development, and increase conflict management capacity, tools, and intellectual capacity.”

Moshe Safdie and Associates won a competitive bid against 50 other architectural firms to build the “peace building.”  The President of the US Institute of Peace says “we are certain, however, that Safdie’s experience, reputation, and creativity working with the project in Washington D.C., and around the globe, will serve this project well.”

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design

In addition to its peaceful motives, the building is LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certified.  This refers to the United States Green Building Council’s voluntary building standard that can be achieved at four different levels:  Certified, Silver, Platinum and Gold.

To achieve certified status, the peace building was built on the site of a converted parking lot with a green landscape and shade trees, protects and conserves water, improves energy performance, and will reduce waste and encourage recycling when completed.  Though not the most ambitious LEED certification, Safdie’s design takes an important step in the right direction.

Egypt and the United Arab Emirates both have official Green Building Councils, while other Middle Eastern countries are either emergent or prospective GBC members.  Although Israel does not promote LEED, the SI-5281 standard developed in 2005 essentially serves the same purpose. 

However, we think that if respected architects like Moshe Safdie insist upon green building materials and methods in the Middle East as well as abroad, lesser known architects and developers will necessarily follow suit.

Read more on green building in the Middle East:
Green Building Takes Off in Turkey
Green housing construction gets underway in Israel, creates jobs in Negev town of Yeruham
Elias Messinas Builds On Green Education From Israel and Practice in Greece

The Jerusalem Post reports that the Canadian company had been exploring for natural gas off the coast of Israel, and announced yesterday that it had located what appears to be up to 6 trillion cubic feet of natural gas off Israel’s coast in two separate sites.

Worth up to $6 billion, a press release on the company’s website announced that it “will have an indirect 71.625% interest in these prospects via its 75% equity interest in the Israel Petroleum Company which has acquired a 95.5% interest in the drilling licenses as well as an adjoining exploration permit from the current operator subject to approval by the Government of Israel.”

The two gas fields called the “Mira” and “Sarah” prospects are located just south of the Tamar and Dalit gas fields, where Delek Group Ltd and its partners, Noble Energy Inc, Isramco Ltd, and more located natural gas fields last year, with an estimated worth up to $40 billion. The new finds are in adjoining 154-square mile blocks found 50-100 kilometers from the Netanya-Hadera coast. They are not included on the above map which shows the gas finds made last year.

The Chapman Petroleum Engineering company conducted a survey and this is what they found: “Based on our analysis, after consideration of risk, we have concluded that the potential of these prospects is of sufficient merit to justify the work program being proposed, and we therefore recommend and support the Company’s participation.”

(This post was first written for Canada’s Israel blog.)
Image via Energy Tribune

More on natural gas:
Offshore Deposits May Lead to Cleaner Air But Not Energy Independence
Natural Gas Promises Energy Independence for Israel for 15 Years
Does the Environment Lose in Natural Gas Find?