Thousands of apartment owner-occupiers and renters in Victoria are expected to benefit from a state and federal program providing generous grants to install solar panels on apartment buildings.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics and based on 2021 Census data, 12.1% of Victorian residents live in apartments. This represented a slight increase from 11.6% in 2016. Apartment residents, particularly renters, are among the groups that have struggled to gain access to the benefits of solar power. And with approximately 65 percent of Victorians living in apartments being renters, many are missing out.
In September last year, the Victorian Government announced a program to provide grants to owners’ corporations (OCs) to install solar panels, with funds provided through the Albanese Government’s Community Solar Banks initiative. Successful applicants can receive up to $2,800 per apartment, or up to $140,000 per building for up to 50 apartments; whether owner-occupied or rented.
Among the eligibility requirements (of which there are quite a few), proposed systems must demonstrate a system and installation cost payback period of within 10 years. Projects may be comprised of individual systems directly connected to apartments, or a single large system coupled with solar sharing technology. An example of a home-grown sharing technology manufactured here in Australia is SolShare.
Round One Response
The $16 million Solar for Apartments program saw plenty of interest in Round One – 438 applications from owners’ corporations covering more than 5,000 apartments for a total capacity of 12 megawatts. But how many scored a guernsey isn’t clear.
Victorian Minister for Energy and Resources Lily D’Ambrosio yesterday visited an apartment complex in Northcote that was first building to install panels through the initiative. Northcote’s proportion of dwellings that are apartments or flats is significantly higher than the state average: 22.8%.
The owner’s corporation received $39,200 to install a solar system connecting 14 apartments.
“We are helping Victorians living in apartments to take control of their energy bills and reap the benefits of cheap, renewable energy by reducing upfront costs and streamlining the installation process,” said Minister D’Ambrosio.
Round Two Starts Soon
Round 1 closed at the end of May this year, but kick-off for the next round won’t be long – sometime this month.
“If you are planning to apply for a grant in Round 2, now is a great time to start your research and talk to your OC about installing solar on your apartment building,” says Solar Victoria.
You can learn more about the options for installing solar on apartment buildings here.
While OCs are required to sign a funding agreement, applications can be started by apartment residents, strata managers or OCs; although getting all parties on board from the get-go is probably the wisest move. Solar Victoria has also flagged that the application process for Round Two will differ to Round One, but details are yet to be released.
Other Incentives To Get Solar Panels On VIC Rental Properties
The Solar for Apartments program isn’t the only show in town supporting solar installations for renters. The Solar for Rentals program offers eligible landlords a rebate of up to $1,400 for the installation of solar panels on their rental property. At the time of writing, there were still 1,917 rebates available in the current release.
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