A new $25m Solar for Apartment Residents (SoAR) scheme backing shared rooftop systems has launched, offering to cover half the cost of solar for multi-unit dwellings in NSW.
The federal and NSW state Labor governments are together funding the SoAR grant program, which foots up to 50% of the bill for installing shared solar systems on apartments or other multi-unit dwellings, with a maximum of $150,000 available per project.
At a press conference announcing the event, Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen said that although a third of Australian households are fitted out with solar systems, only 3.5% of apartments have one. Bowen added:
In the past it’s been difficult for apartment residents to reap the benefits of cleaner, cheaper solar – but Labor is helping households overcome those barriers and powering more Australian homes with renewables.
What Does SoAR Cover
The following products and services are covered under the grant:
- Solar panels, inverters and mounting;
- Solar sharing technology;
- Labour for solar installation;
- Safety equipment;
- Essential meter board upgrades (where there is clear evidence that it is required for the solar system to function effectively
wiring upgrade for solar connection purposes only); - Roof waterproofing (only where required due to the solar installation).
How To Apply for Apartment Solar
Eligible to apply are owners corporations or strata managers of apartments or other multi-unit dwellings with 3-55 units, which haven’t had a solar PV system installed in the last 10 years.
Individual apartment residents are not able to apply themselves, and are encouraged to share details with their owners corporation or strata manager and get them to pursue it: applications can be made here.
Applications are now open and will close on 1 December 2025 or when funding is exhausted, with grants awarded on a “first in, first served” basis. Full eligibility requirements can be found here.
The incentive is funded by the federal government’s Solar Banks Scheme, which is focused on removing the barriers to accessing solar nationwide, and is a key action in the NSW Government’s Consumer Energy Strategy.
It forms part of a $206m package announced last year from the Albanese and Minns Governments for energy-saving upgrades in social housing properties and access to solar for low-income renters and apartment residents.
The NSW state government claims over 10,000 households will use the Solar Banks program, each saving up to $600 annually on electricity bills.
Apartment Solar Outside NSW
The federal government’s $100m Community Solar Banks program has partnered with state and territory governments around the country to help apartment dwellers get solar, although applications are no longer available for some. It includes:
- Victoria: A scheme jointly funded by the Victorian and Commonwealth governments just concluded a second round of grants, but no further rounds have been announced at this stage. On offer was up to $2,800 per household, or up to $140,000 per property for buildings of up to 50 apartments;
- ACT: A scheme jointly backed by the ACT and federal governments offers up to $100,000 in grant funds and a zero-interest loan for solar installations that benefit all residents of an apartment complex;
- NT: The federal and NT governments are backing a scheme that provides up to $7,500 per individual dwelling, to support up to 50% of the total installation costs of a shared solar system.
How Apartment Blocks Can Share Solar
Allume’s SolShare system allows apartment complexes to share the benefits of the building’s solar.
There are unique challenges to rolling out solar for multi-unit dwellings, and options are limited for how apartment blocks can get in on the action.
Australian company Allume offers SolShare: a behind-the-meter solution which splits the electricity from the solar system via a hardware device, with a ‘dynamic sharing algorithm’ allocating it fairly to residents over the course of a month. This could be an equal share, or varying allocations according to each apartment’s size, and also sends some to common areas.
Allume has put out the call for interested parties to apply for a Shared Solar Assessment for their building to gauge eligibility for the NSW grant, as well as the estimated cost and savings. If you live outside NSW, they also have an enquiry process for those interested in SolShare.
The company is staging a live Q&A webinar on the new scheme on Friday the 7th of March, for which you can register here.
For more information on the various approaches apartment dwellers can take to access solar, read our comprehensive solar for apartments guide.
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We’ve put together a 13 minute video to help people get started in understanding the Solar for Apartment Residents (SoAR) rebate, which can be found here:
Those 3.5% of apartments with solar now are probably owned.
Even then Strata management can be a right pain to work with.
A good incentive, so hopefully many smaller apartment residents can get together with landlords and convince them it is a great investment / incentive for renters when the landlords are looking to keep quality long term residents, or renting out apartments that have been vacated.
Of course the extra benefit is the added overall value of a group of apartments.
I own a unit in a group of 6. Mine is the only one with any insulation. Built in 1972. No sisalation wrap or insulation was used in the original build. I insulated my ceiling when I bought it in 1984. Owners could have had their ceilings insulated for free in the Home Insulation Program but none did. In those days 3 of the units were owner occupied. My experience is that a proportion of the population don’t give a toss about even the simplest of invisible improvements. It all gets back to the gold plated door knobs being more important than the soundproofing and thermal improvements that can be made by insulating.
I know this is off topic but in my experience many landlords just want the rent paid on time and are not interested in improving the lot for their tenants. In this present sellers market if I was to suggest to the other owners that we should improve the units by getting the owners corp. to put up solar panels there would be a resounding NO from all the other owners.