Live in an apartment and want the benefits of solar? There is a solution

Apartment dwellers have long been left out of the solar energy loop.

With the only options for rooftop solar requiring a private system wired through to each dwelling and body corporates holding fast to shared space, low-rise tenants and owners have had no efficient way to take advantage of the sun – until now.

Cameron Knox is CEO and co-founder at Allume Energy. He worked to invent, design and build a solution that improves equal access to renewable energy for apartment dwellers, developing a technology that remains the only one of its kind in the world.

“SolShare is a world-first, Australian-owned, designed and made technology that connects a single rooftop solar system to multiple apartments,” he says.

“Electricity is piped down from the roof into our smart hardware, which splits the energy according to demand in the building at the time.

“In short, we are successfully breaking down technical and ownership barriers that have historically prevented apartment residents from accessing cheaper, cleaner energy from the sun.”

Allume Energy’s dynamic sharing algorithm decides where and when to send energy in the building to ensure everyone gets the energy they need. This could be an equal share or varying allocations according to each apartment’s size and consumption. Some energy is also sent to power common areas.

“SolShare has been the only technology of its kind in the world since it first entered the market,” Cameron says.

“We are privileged to be in this position with such a sophisticated product, so now is the time to create as much impact as possible for people living in low and mid-rise apartments.

“To make sure our impact is a positive one, we only offer our technology to a small number of trusted, experienced and passionate installers with a great track record for customer service.”

One such partner installer is Canberra-based Huglo Solar. Director Tim Sturgiss is glad to work with an Aussie provider, given manufacturers in China hold around 80 per cent of the market.

“It’s the answer to an issue that has been hounding apartment owners for a long time,” he says.

“It also solves other problems. For example, people without a battery system lose a significant portion of their savings when excess is fed back into the grid rather than being used in the home.

“We see 40 to 50 per cent higher onsite consumption with SolShare than what you’d get with an individual system.”

Tim says many owners corporations generally like the idea of shared solar but struggle to understand the cost of installation. For those searching for a cheaper option, he suggests looking into solar-powered hot water.

“It’s not just the upfront cost of sharing hardware, it’s the solar panels themselves, getting cranes in to install them and extensive wiring required throughout the building to service them.

“If your owners corporation isn’t interested in solar or just can’t afford it, another option is replacing gas hot water with a hot water heat pump.

“They don’t require as many infrastructure changes and still provide a shared savings benefit to apartment dwellers, which is what it’s all about.”

Owners corporations can apply for grant funds and access to a zero-interest loan through the ACT Solar for Apartments Program to install rooftop solar in eligible apartment complexes.

To find out more about options for rooftop solar on your apartment block, get in touch with Huglo Solar.

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