About Us
Founded in 1944, the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science develops philanthropic support for the Weizmann Institute in Israel, and advances its mission of science for the benefit of humanity.
Jan 28, 2013...
Chaim Weizmann. He foresaw the energy crisis and proposed an economical way of making fuel. Photo by Weizmann Institute of Science
Chaim Weizmann is primarily known as a leader of the Zionist movement and the first president of the State of Israel. However, before his success in statesmanship and politics, Weizmann became famous during World War II for inventing a new method of producing acetone, which was needed for manufacturing explosives.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/new-grant-to-fuel-solar-energy-research/
Oct 24, 2012...
The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust announced a gift of $15 million over three years to fund joint research in solar energy and biofuels between the Weizmann Institute of Science and the Technion — Israel Institute of Technology.
The Helmsley program, which will involve dozens of researchers from the two institutions, is unique in several ways. For one, scientists in fields ranging from genetics and plant sciences to chemistry, physics and engineering will be working together toward the common goal of providing renewable energy options to Israel and the world. For another, the researchers anticipate that wedding the basic research approach of the Weizmann Institute to the advanced technical-engineering emphasis of the Technion teams will provide the synergy needed to accelerate discovery and development of innovative energy options that can be the basis for future technologies.
Sep 19, 2019...
JERUSALEM, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) – Israeli researchers have deciphered the unique “self-healing” process of solar materials halide perovskites, making the development of optoelectronics materials possible, the Weizmann Institute of Science (WIS) reported on Thursday.
Halide perovskites are exceptionally effective at converting solar energy into electricity, but it is unclear how they contain only one structure defect on every trillion atoms, a million times less than regular semiconductors.
Apr 06, 2009... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—April 6, 2009—The design of efficient systems, driven by sunlight, for splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen is among the most important challenges facing science today, underpinning the long-term potential of hydrogen as a clean, sustainable fuel. But manmade systems that exist today are very inefficient and often require additional use of sacrificial chemical agents. In this context, it is important to establish new mechanisms by which water splitting can take place.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/feature-stories/fueling-the-future/
Feb 01, 2007... It is time for the world to take alternative fuel sources seriously, say Weizmann Institute scientists. Energy consumption—both in the Western world and especially in newly industrialized countries—is growing so fast that carbon dioxide (CO2) and other combustion-related particles in the air are affecting our weather and increasing health risks. Add rising oil prices and the fact that easily recoverable oil supplies are dwindling, and the stage is set for a number of undesirable scenarios.
Dec 22, 2015... Prof. David Cahen, head of the Weizmann Institute's Alternative Energy Research Initiative, and colleague Prof. Leeor Kronik discuss humankind's energy problem – specifically, that we cannot keep using energy as we do today – and potential solutions, such as use of highly efficient solar power. The event was held at The Gregory School in Tucson.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/ethiopia-adopts-israeli-day-night-power-system/
Dec 02, 2014...
An AORA Tulip System (Photo credit: Courtesy)
Solar energy is an ideal solution for the power needs of the developing world – except for one problem: It stops working when the sun goes down, at precisely the time power is needed to turn the lights on. The solution, according to Zev Rosenzweig, CEO of Israeli energy technology company AORA, is a hybrid system – one that utilizes solar to the fullest, and supplements it with a “backup” system to keep the power flowing when the sun is not high in the sky, using scant resources, with an operating cost of next to nothing.
Feb 08, 2012...
By Sharon Udasin
ALMERIA, Spain — Amid the cactus-strewn mountains of Andalucía, in southern Spain, a bright yellow Israeli tulip stands tall above a sea of solar panels that move with the sun’s light.
AORA Solar, an Israeli developer of applied ultra-high-temperature concentrated solar power (CSP), launched its second-ever gas-turbine solar thermal power station on Tuesday in the Platforma Solara de Almeria solar research and development park. The park is located in the town of Tabernas, about 35 kilometers north of the oceanfront city of Almeria.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/matthew-modine-it-s-easy-being-green/
Feb 04, 2014...
Matthew Modine
Safe to say Matthew Modine chooses paper over plastic at the checkout counter. The soft-spoken actor, who grew up in front of our eyes in such ’80s classics as Baby It’s You, Private School and Vision Quest, is a big-time environmentalist now. A few years ago the California native literally set the wheels in motion by launching Bicycle for A Day, encouraging people out of their gas-powered cars.
Apr 29, 2014...
Prototype of the the excess heat system setup. Photo: COURTESY NEW CO2FUELS
Excess heat squandered in industrial production processes, as well as the carbon dioxide and water vapors emanating from their chimneys, will soon be put to positive use by an Israeli start-up.
The Rehovot-based NewCO2Fuels (NCF) plans to use the extreme heat released by factories such as steel, ceramics, glass and gasification plants – where residual heat temperatures rise to 1,450°C – to drive an innovative fuel production process, the company’s CEO, David Banitt, told The Jerusalem Post this week.