Israel to require rooftop solar installations on new residential and non-residential buildings from December 2025
All new buildings with roofs over 100 sq. m. will need to install a minimum of 5 kW PV system
Regulation aims at boosting energy independence and reducing grid costs amidst a shortage of land
In a move to boost clean energy, Israel will require rooftop solar systems on all new buildings starting December 2025. Approved by the Planning Administration in collaboration with the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, the regulation is expected to add nearly 3.5 GW of solar PV capacity by 2040, enough to power around 550,000 households annually.
“All roofs of public, industrial, and single-family residential buildings are required to install solar systems for the production of renewable energy, starting in December 2025,” said the Director General of the Planning Administration, Rafi Elmaleh.
Under the upcoming rules, all new houses with a roof area exceeding 100 sq. m. will need to install a 5 kW solar system. All new residential as well as non-residential buildings with a roof area of more than 250 sq. m. will also be required to be solarized.
“I intend to work to expand the regulations in the future, so that in every residential building, and every structure where this is possible, a system for producing and storing electricity from renewable energies will be established,” announced the Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Eli Cohen.
Following the global oil crisis of 1973, Israel made the installation of solar water heaters mandatory for all new residential buildings. It led to households saving more than 5% in electricity consumption annually by 2023.
The administration is now following this up with the rooftop solar mandate, as it sees this contributing to increasing the country’s energy independence, enabling the use of clean energy even during an emergency, in view of Israel’s limited land resources.
Solar energy production close to consumption will result in cost savings that will otherwise be spent on building electricity grid infrastructure, and promote decentralization, it added.
“The war with Iran has once again emphasized how important these regulations are for the functional continuity of a decentralized energy sector based on renewable energy,” stated the Energy Ministry.
Earlier in March 2025, the country approved an amendment to exempt building permits for residential rooftop solar systems, and also for small storage facilities for this segment to add 100,000 new systems by 2030 (see Israel Easing Rules For Rooftop Solar & Energy Storage Facilities).