The Knesset building is now the “greenest” parliamentary building in the world. As of Sunday, the building’s roof, with near 5,000 square meters of solar panels, is set to generate enough electricity to power the building’s lights, and much of its air conditioning, heating, and computing needs. On Sunday, the plenum celebrated the completion of a photovoltaic installation, a project started a year ago.

Celebrating the event was Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, who said that “What is happening before our very eyes is indeed exciting, a true revolution. It is not just the solar panels; it is the message, the idea, the new path. This is not merely a revolution in energy-saving; it is also a turning point with regards to the environmental awareness revolution that we have been promoting.”

The project is supposed to be a showcase for Israel’s commitment to alternative energy. A government policy adopted some years ago calls for 20% of Israel’s electrical output to be generated by solar and other alternative power sources by 2020. Most experts believe that that goal will not be achieved, but Edelstein said the Knesset hopes to be a good example of how to save energy. The installment of the solar panels, the highlight of the Green Knesset Project, will bring about the optimal use of solar energy, which, thank G-d, we have here in abundance, and will lead – along with the other [energy-saving] measures we have taken – to major savings in the consumption of electricity – which constitutes a third of the Knesset’s total energy consumption. This saving of energy has far-reaching environmental implications, not only in the direct economic sense, but also in the sense that it will dramatically reduce the harm caused to the environment,” he said.

Among the many guests attending the Knesset event were the 39 new MKs who took office after the March 17 elections, as well as officials of environmental organizations, who were on hand to remind the MKs not to ignore crucial environmental issues during their term in the plenum.

Naor Yerushalmi, CEO of the Life and Environment organization, said that “environmental protection is not a luxury. We must preserve it, for ourselves and for the next generations. The new government will face many challenges, and dealing with the environmental challenges in Israel is one of them.” Israel, he said, was providing “true environmental leadership. I hope the leadership you have displayed here in the Knesset will encourage others” to follow suit.