"Win-Win” for everyone: An Israeli solar field changes agriculture in Indiana, USA

Doral leads megaprojects in the U.S., driving the local economy and fostering warm and healthy relations with remote communities that have hardly heard of Israel. Yaki Noyman, Doral CEO: “The bond established between the local communities and Doral, an Israeli company, is remarkable and deeply rooted, extending its influence to the administration and senior officials of those states”

 “One of Doral’s secrets for success both in Israel and especially in the U.S., is its personal engagement and partnership with the landowners/farmers we collaborate with”, declares Yaki Noyman, CEO of Doral, a renewable energy leader in both markets. “Our cooperation with  farmers in Israel and the U.S. is fruitful because we treat them as full partners to our business success, striving to achieve a WIN-WIN outcome for everyone.”

Why do you define your projects as beneficial for all?

“Because that’s exactly what they are. Take the U.S. for example. A vast country filled with many old farms facing economic uncertainty. While some years are profitable, others can be challenging, and many of the younger generations are no longer interested in continuing to cultivate family land, which leaves the farm with an uncertain future. The solution that we offer – establishing solar fields on  farmland – solves this dual problem for them: it both triples and quadruples their monetary profit compared to their best years, as well as replaces land cultivation, so that the future generation does not object. In practice, it provides the farmers a guaranteed income for quite a few years, ensuring their economic security.”

Doral does all of this while promoting an agrivoltaic agenda that enabling farmers to continue raising livestock or growing field crops while operating the solar field. Furthermore, solar field operation is reversible so that if farmers eventually decide to return to traditional farming after the project concludes, the land remains available for cultivation. All of these advantages render Doral’s collaborations with U.S. farmers highly successful, where the latter enjoy the fruits of the project for many years. That is also why the model is so prosperous with projects in over 20 states and Doral is considered among the 10 leading renewable energy companies in the U.S. according to S&P.

Apparently, the benefits extend beyond economics. “Fortunately, the American farmers’ economic welfare, derived from the projects, generates a positive impact on Israel’s image around the world”, says Noyman. “In many cases, the farms we reach are in relatively remote American communities, places that hardly consume news and media so we are often their first point of contact with Israelis and Jews. This initial and very positive introduction creates a good image for Israel and the Jewish people. It reduces Antisemitism and their exposure to biases and negative information regarding Israel.”

Noyman notes that one of the best examples is Doral’s project in Starke and Pulaski counties in Northern Indiana, which is one of the biggest solar energy projects in the U.S, covering over 13,000 acres and involving dozens of farming communities. The project is expected to generate 1.6GW of green electricity. Commercial operation has already begun in Northern Indiana, generating 480MW, and construction of projects in Central and Southern Indiana is scheduled to begin in H1/2025.

“Our relationship with the farmers of Northern Indiana is remarkable and deeply rooted, extending to the state’s administration and senior officials”, he says. “Indiana has close and warm relations with Israel and it definitely embraced Doral as an Israeli company  operating in the state. The administration offered us great support, and not without reason. As I mentioned, it is a mutually beneficial situation  for everyone – the state gains a huge monetary investment, manifested in infrastructural development and increased tax revenues;  the local farmers gain a safe and steady income; and  Doral continues to grow as a business.”

“The Indiana project budget is $2B, a huge sum that will impact thousands of workers, suppliers and service providers for many years. It increases the supply of employment opportunities in the region and enhances local community resilience. I am pleased to say that, in the U.S., renewable energy is a consensus supported across the board by Democrats and Republicans alike. It is interesting to note that most of the states we work in are Republican in central and eastern U.S., so it is the Republican voters who enjoy the fruits of our success.”

What about the situation in Israel?

“We share this philosophy with landowners in Israel as the majority of our partners derives from the Kibbutz sector. Our partners include Kibbutzim from the Gaza Envelope and border with Lebanon, where we generate renewable energy projects that help them recover and grow to economic prosperity while combining agriculture and green energies. Doral considers the Kibbutzim integral partners in shaping the future of renewable energy, currently working with over 250 of 270 Kibbutzim in Israel.” 

This article was written in cooperation with Doral