This article about Solar on Strata has been supplied by Brent Clark, Wattblock.
Overview
Australia currently has the highest rooftop solar per capita with 23% penetration. There are now over 2 million houses in Australia with solar panels. However, apartment blocks or strata schemes have not yet embraced the solar revolution. It is estimated that less than 0.5% of residential strata schemes have solar panels, nationwide.
Over the past 4 years, Wattblock has provided over 250 solar feasibility studies to residential strata buildings across Australia. We have also assisted 20 residential apartment blocks to select vendors for solar installation, check the performance of their existing solar systems, or increase the size of their existing solar system.
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To date, the uptake of solar on apartment buildings has been slow, but we expect it to accelerate. The introduction of battery subsidies which residential strata schemes are eligible for will be a stimulus for solar & batteries on strata.
Also, the introduction of NABERS for Apartment Buildings six-star energy ratings should increase the uptake of solar on apartment buildings.
The benefits of solar for apartment buildings
The benefits of solar for apartment buildings are far-reaching. For individual apartment residents, there are lower electricity bills, a clean source of energy and reduced reliance on the electricity grid. For Australia’s electricity networks the benefits are reduced network demand. Solar is the lowest cost electricity generation model which can be considered by a strata scheme and provides reduce C02 emissions meeting local, state and federal emissions reduction targets.
This paper covers the major considerations which a strata scheme needs to take into account, in order to successfully implement a solar system in the most equitable manner. It attempts to do this without excessive technical jargon or background knowledge of solar, such that it can be read by an enthusiastic strata committee member, who doesn’t necessarily have a science or engineering background.
Read next:
- WA: Fire Risk Identified in Solar Panel Installation by Cowboy Operators
- NSW: Solar for Apartments – Power to the (Strata) People
Brent Clark
Wattblock
P: 02 9977 1801
E: [email protected]
This post appears in Strata News #228.
This article has been republished with permission from the author and first appeared on the Wattblock website.
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