JERUSALEM, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli government planned to earmark 98 million new shekels (about 29.1 million U.S. dollars) for a new subsidy program this year to boost energy efficiency in industry and public areas.
The ministries of energy, economy and industry, environmental protection, and finance on Monday issued a joint statement announcing the new program, stressing that the amount for 2022 will come entirely from the budget of the Ministry of Environmental Protection.
About 59 million shekels will sponsor in optimizing the use of energy and raw materials in factories, the ministries said.
The rest will cover subsidies in urban solar-roofing projects that generate clean electricity while helping reduce the phenomenon of "urban heat island," they said.
The subsidies can encourage local authorities and businesses that own outdoor public facilities such as parking lots, parks, sports fields and cemeteries to invest in cooling the facilities and solar energy production, the statement said. ■