Editorial

Abstract

This special issue departs from the tradition of collections dedicated to a specific topic. Instead, it offers a collection of papers from a community of researchers working a specific geographical location. The solar research community in Israel has been active and productive for many decades, making major contributions in a variety of topics related to solar energy. The motivation of researchers in Israel to seek alternative energy sources can be understood when we consider the unusual situation and history of this country. It is embedded in the oil-rich Middle East, but is devoid of any oil resources of its own, and was isolated much of the time politically and economically from its oil-producing neighbors. No wonder that the issue of alternative energy was established very early as one of the top priorities for research and development.