American actor Leonardo DiCaprio took to Instagram on Thursday to post a photo of a future Israeli power plant that is expected to boast the tallest solar thermal tower in the world.
“The arid landscape of Israel’s Negev Desert will look like a futuristic movie in the near future,” DiCaprio captioned the photo.
“The country is building the tallest solar thermal tower in the world above its dusty sands. Surrounded by 50,000 mirrors, the 250-meters high tower should be able to produce enough power for about 5% of Israel’s population when it’s concluded.
“The sunlight will be reflected by the mirrors to a boiler at the top of the tower,” DiCaprio’s post continued. “The boiler will then be able to convert them and heat water to steam to turn the turbine in a conventional power plant.”
While a few of the replies to his post said this such as, “It’s Palestine not Israel”, most praised the work of the Israelis and Di Caprio for highlighting it..
DiCaprio’s post referred to the 121-megawatt Ashalim Solar Thermal Power Station, which is under construction in the Negev. Slated to go online at the end of 2017, the project is one of the largest of its type in the world and the first concentrated solar power plant to be built in Israel.
It is refreshing to see such a high profile celebrity look past political views and highlight how Israeli ingenuity is having a positive impact in the world.
