Israel Easing Rules For Rooftop Solar & Energy Storage Facilities

Israel is easing its permitting process to promote rooftop solar installations in the country, as it gets ready to add 100,000 new systems by 2030.  

Its National Planning and Building Council has approved the exemption of the need to have a building permit for solar PV installations from an electrical engineer. Instead, such a certificate can be procured from any licensed electrician who can ensure the system’s compliance with safety and regulatory frameworks. 

Israel recently unveiled a new solar PV capacity target of 1.6 GW for residential rooftops under its Solar Roofs program, which is likely to cover 15% of such rooftops in the country (see Israel To Add 100,000 New Rooftop Solar Systems By 2030).  

The country’s Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure is also getting ready to bring in exemption from construction permits for storage facilities for residential buildings, expanding it to small storage facilities. On March 11, 2025, the council approved an amendment to the Planning and Building Regulations to exempt the building permit requirement for storage facilities of up to 600 kWh, covering an area of up to 5 m2.

Such a system, according to the ministry, can provide electricity to an average residential building of 10 apartments for about 2 to 3 hours. It sees this development as increasing renewable energy adoption, and not just for the residential segment. It can also provide a solution to the electricity needs of agricultural, public and commercial buildings among others.  

With the addition of energy storage, renewable energy generation can be used for an increased number of hours, including in times of power outages and emergency. “Beyond the actual hours of production, it is important to note that the main advantage of electricity storage facilities lies in the costs of producing electricity during off-peak hours compared to peak hours,” stated the ministry.