124 years ago, technology enthusiast and Zionist Davis Trietsch drew attention to a solar motor from California intended to make artificial irrigation in fuel-poor Palestine more efficient. His early plans for using solar energy in Zionism were part of contemporary debates, particularly after the First World War, which problematized coal’s natural limitations and scarcity and discussed alternative energy regimes. While climate protection did not play a role at the time by today’s standards, the discussions that accompanied the plans for the settlement of Palestine demonstrate the affinity of many Zionists for technology. At the same time, they represent the growing influence of American bodies of knowledge in early Zionism around 1900.
Author(s): Lisa Sophie Gebhard,
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