Yesterday afternoon the Israeli Planning Administration announced it would temporarily scrap permits for soon-to-be-constructed storage units of up to 600 kWh. The move will be in effect for the next 18 months and is said to be due to the current Israel-Hamas conflict.

Storage units exempt from permits will be limited to 30 m2, according to a statement supplied by the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure. They will also need to “maintain the reliability of energy supply during emergencies.” Energy units are expected to support the local authorities operating rooms and civilian gathering centers.

According to the statement, civilian gathering centers are designated public buildings such as schools. This is where civilians can evacuate during emergencies. Operation rooms are where civilian emergency operations occur.

“This measure is just the first,” said Eitan Parnass, director of the country's major renewable energy lobby group, the Green Energy Association of Israel. He said that “rapid implementation of electricity storage” in Israel is expected to follow.

“Storage will play a major role in Israel's electricity market in the coming years,” Parnass said. “The capability of microgrids to survive blackout is a vivid reality in Israel, and a lesson for other modern electricity markets. In Israel, it's missiles that are jeopardizing the grid, but in other countries, climate change and extreme weather can be the cause.”