Israel accelerates solar power expansion

The allocation of more than 1GW of new solar capacity to developers in late 2021 is testament to the new coalition government’s commitment to renewables

Israel’s renewables sector is regaining momentum following last year’s change of government, which saw veteran Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s gas-friendly administration toppled by an eclectic coalition in which environmentalists are considerably better-represented. A prominent local firm has won the long-awaited contract to develop the country’s largest solar project, near Dimona in the southern Negev desert, while permits to install around 800MW of capacity have been allocated in the Israeli Electricity Authority’s third solar-plus-storage auction. The six-month-old coalition government also declared a year-long moratorium on upstream gas licensing to allow energy policy to focus on d