Program Promotes U.S. -- Israel Cooperation on Renewable Energy

Press Release

On Thursday, Congressman Tim Murphy met with Dr. Eitan Yudilevich, Executive Director, U.S.-Israel Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation, an organization dedicated to fostering cooperation between the U.S. and Israeli high-tech and energy industries. The BIRD Foundation facilitates collaboration between U.S. and Israeli companies, and provides funding covering up to 50 percent of project development and product commercialization costs for joint ventures.

The BIRD Energy program promotes cooperation between U.S. and Israeli renewable energy companies. The implementation of a cooperation agreement between the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and Israel's Ministry of National Infrastructures, BIRD Energy funded its first four joint projects in 2009 with $3.3 million provided by DOE and the Ministry of National Infrastructures. The Purolite Company, a resin manufacturer based in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, and TransBiodiesel Ltd., an Israeli company, were selected for an award of up to $700,000 to conduct a project producing biodiesel fuel at commercial scales. Other projects were related to producing electric power from solar energy, Smart Grid energy management, and Building Integrated Photovoltaic systems.

In 2007, the U.S. Congress, with the support of Congressman Murphy, passed the U.S.-Israel Energy Cooperation Act as part of the Energy Independence and Security Act, establishing the legal foundation for the BIRD Energy program.

U.S. companies that have worked with Israeli businesses on projects funded by the BIRD Foundation include Bayer Pharmaceutical, Johnson and Johnson, General Electric, Motorola, Spacelabs, and General Dynamics.

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