Located in the same ancient port where Jonah sailed off and made his fate with the whale, is a new wave-collecting power plant that officially went online this month. Though it’s been in place for a number of years as a pilot and generally inactive, the city of Jaffa welcomed the municipal company Atarim, in collaboration with Eco Wave Power and EDF Renewables Israel, to Israel’s first pilot station for generating electricity from sea waves.

Related: Eco Wave tests pilot at the Jaffa seashore

Eco Wave Power is a NASDAQ-listed company (ticker: WAVE) holding 18 patents for innovative wave energy technologies. In addition to the Jaffa pilot station, the company is planning projects in the Port of Los Angeles with Shell and in Porto, Portugal, where its first commercial station will be built.

The company’s technology connects floaters to existing marine structures like breakwaters and piers. These floaters rise and fall with the waves, powering a hydraulic motor and generator located onshore. The system includes smart controls that lift the floaters out of the water during storms to prevent damage.

The project is led by Eco Wave Power founder and CEO Inna Braverman, a graduate of the “Women for Climate” program from the group C40. 

Developed by the company Eco Wave Power, the station was built in collaboration with EDF Renewables. The power station is recognized as “pioneering technology” by the Ministry of Energy.  For the first time, electricity generated from sea waves will power the country’s national grid—a historic milestone in the country’s renewable energy progress. 

Related: Oceanwell mines the sea for freshwater

The city which is aiming to brand itself as a green city, says this launch “marks a significant step toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions and advancing sustainable energy, reinforcing Tel Aviv’s status as a global innovation leader.” High-tech center, yes, green city –– um, not always. The city’s lack of financial support to one of its foundational cultural centers, the East West House (no comment from the Mayor Ron Huldai) and indecisions about cutting down trees don’t make it a green city, just because the city wishes it so.

Middle Eastern Jewish and Arab musical culture, ancient trees: these things make a city sustainable and shouldn’t be pushed aside to make way for “green progress” according to a ledger. The concept is ridiculous. Electric bikes and lack of speeding laws and order make Jaffa an un-walkable city in some of the busier areas. Plastic bags are given out freely. Residents barely compost or recycle home waste. The recent light rail train going online, however, has upgraded the city by 1000%. The CDP group gives Tel Aviv and A- for Sustainability. 

Are you a woman for climate change? Check out C40 here. Maybe you can join.

::EcoWave

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