Israel's Bold Move: Mandatory Solar Panels On New Building Roofs

The Israeli government has announced new regulations mandating the installation of renewable energy production and storage facilities on the roofs of new buildings. This landmark initiative aims to enhance Israel’s energy independence, reduce air pollution, and provide residents with reliable electricity, even during emergencies.

"The regulations that will require the installation of production and storage facilities on the roofs of buildings are a historic step, and another action we are taking in order to meet our goals for producing electricity from renewable energies," stated a government spokesperson. "This move will save money for the residents, will allow them to consume electricity even during emergency hours, will increase Israel’s energy independence and reduce air pollution. I thank the planning director for his cooperation, and I intend to work to expand the regulations in the future so that in every shared residential building, and every building where this is possible, a renewable energy production and storage system will be established."

Promoted over the past two years by the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, in collaboration with the Regulations Division of the Planning Administration, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, and the Electricity Authority, the new regulations stipulate the following:

Any new non-residential building with a roof area exceeding 250 square meters must establish a renewable energy production facility.

New detached residential buildings with a roof area of 100 square meters or more must install a photovoltaic system with a minimum capacity of 5 kilowatts.

The regulations exclude certain cases, such as sheds or preservation additions, and allow city engineers to grant exemptions where appropriate, for example, in buildings with unique architectural value or planned future construction that would be impacted by the installations.

The Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure estimates that these regulations will lead to the construction of tens of thousands of renewable energy facilities, with a total installed capacity of up to 3,500 megawatts by 2040. This capacity is expected to save approximately 35,000 dunams of land and billions of NIS in investments for electricity network infrastructure. Additionally, it will contribute to the decentralization and resilience of Israel’s energy sector.

These new regulations build on the historic mandate introduced about fifty years ago, following the 1973 global oil crisis, which required solar heaters on every new residential building. That mandate has saved over 5% of electricity consumption annually and improved the quality of life for residents.