The Israeli government has backed a national program to install solar on the roofs of public sporting facilities nationwide.

It is dedicating a ILS 34 million budget to local authorities to support the deployment of rooftop solar projects this year. The government is also planning to grant three-year exemptions from construction permit requirements for these initiatives and says further regulatory relief measures are being advanced to help incentivize solar roofing infrastructure.
“This move will enable local authorities to turn an expense into a yielding investment, add thousands of dunams of public shaded areas, allow community activity in all weather, and contribute significantly to meeting Israel's renewable energy targets for 2030,” said Israeli Minister of Energy Eli Cohen.
According to research conducted by the ministry, there are over 3,500 public sports fields across Israel that could yield approximately 500 MW of installed capacity with solar canopies built above them.
Earlier this year, Israel unveiled plans to add 100,000 solar roofs across the country by 2030, a plan forecast to bring 1.6 GW of new solar capacity.
In July, it introduced new requirements for solar installations on all new non-residential buildings with rooftop areas above 250 square meters and on new detached residential buildings with roofs larger than 100 square meters.
Israel added 900 MW of solar in 2024, with the majority of the newly added capacity stemming from projects operating under merchant power purchase agreements.