The numerous benefits of solar energy are well known – lower electricity bills, reduced bill shock, and smaller carbon footprint. These benefits are especially impactful for community housing residents. The SolShare finally offers a simple, low-cost method of extending these benefits to apartment residents.
Social Housing
The SolShare is the world’s only hardware solution for sharing solar to apartments. It’s connected to the apartments via the building’s main switchboard, so there’s minimal disruption to the tenants during installation. The residents also retain the right to choose whichever energy retailer they like and aren’t required to sign up to any additional services in order to enjoy the solar energy. In fact, with a SolShare system, the only thing the residents will notice is significantly reduced electricity bills!
How it works
The SolShare is a distribution box that can direct solar energy to multiple apartments behind-the-meter simultaneously. It optimises the solar delivery based on who needs the energy at any point in time, while also ensuring that every apartment receives the same amount of solar over the course of each month.
Features & Benefits
Savings
The SolShare can reduce electricity
bills by up to 40% – and even more
with batteries
Affordable
A complete SolShare solar
system can cost as little as
$2,000 per apartment.
Sustainable
Solar power is a simple and
effective way to reduce
carbon emissions
Unobtrusive
The residents retain the freedom
to choose whichever retailer they
like for their grid energy
Case studies
Cardiff, Wales – Wales & West Housing
The client’s brief was to connect all 24 flats to rooftop solar PV and battery storage. The initial proposal was to connect an individual solar system with individual batteries to each flat. The space requirements for 24 inverters and 24 batteries left the attic as the only place to house the equipment. This was deemed inappropriate by the client and the project ground to a halt.
Upon discovering the SolShare, the solution was able to be dramatically simplified to two inverters, two SolShares connected to 12 flats each. The reduction in hardware enabled the equipment to be installed next to the meter room on the ground floor, green lighting the project. The simplification also reduced the project costs by 25%.
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Eveleigh, New South Wales
City West Housing is a leading Community Housing Provider in NSW. They connected rooftop solar to 226 apartments in three apartment complexes in their portfolio with Allume’s SolShare technology.
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Marrickville, NSW
My Foundations Youth Housing Ltd (MFYH) is focussed on providing secure housing to homeless youth. MFYH approached Allume Energy to roll out rooftop solar on multi-dwelling buildings in their portfolio.
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Altona North, Victoria
Allume Energy worked with the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment to deploy shared solar on an apartment building owned and operated by Evolve Housing.
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Ryde, New South Wales
Allume Energy worked with the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment to deploy shared solar on an apartment building owned and operated by Evolve Housing.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The SolShare comes with an industry standard 10-year warranty.
No. The beauty of the SolShare is that it can be connected to whoever is interested. So, if there are 30 apartments but only 15 want solar, the 15 of you can buy your own SolShare solar system. The most important thing to do is speak to the other owners as soon as possible to see who is interested.
Yes, any connection can be added to a SolShare system, including the common light and power.
The SolShare delivers solar under a ‘fair-share’ algorithm. The SolShare monitors how much energy each apartment is using (energy demand) and sends solar to where it’s needed, maximising the savings for everyone in the building. However, to make sure that everything’s fair, the SolShare logs how much solar’s been delivered to each unit and if it identifies that a unit has received more than the others it will start to reduce the amount of solar that it sends to that unit until the others have caught up.
Yes, batteries can be included in the system. Even better, because the SolShare is a shared system, your batteries will also be shared. This means that rather than needing to buy an expensive battery for every connected unit, you simply by a communal battery that everyone uses when they need it. This greatly increases their value for money.
Every SolShare installation is unique. Once we have gained the relevant information from you, we will introduce you to one of our certified SolShare installation partners. They will be able to talk you through what is most suitable for your building.
Typically, the SolShare is suitable for apartment buildings that have more than 6 apartments. Send us an enquiry and we will be happy to see if our technology is suitable for your apartment building.
As with all solar installations, every connected unit must have a smart electricity meter. If the apartments don’t have smart meters, don’t worry. Our certified SolShare Installation Partners will be able to guide you through upgrading. Residents can also contact their energy retailer directly and upgrade the meters in advance.
Every connected unit will receive feed-in tariff payment for any solar they don’t use.
The SolShare ensures that the same quantity of solar is delivered to each connected unit over the course of each month. It works hard to deliver each unit’s solar when they are using power and therefore when they’re going to save the most amount of money. However, if this is not possible and more solar is being delivered than can be consumed then it will be exported to the grid and your retailer will buy it off you.
The SolShare ensure that rooftop solar on social housing is used to its maximum potential to reduce electricity bills.
No. Residents can stay with their existing retailer, or to choose to change to another one. They can also access any market protections provided for vulnerable electricity customers, if applicable.
State and territory governments may have funding available for rooftop solar on social housing. Contact us for guidance.
Contact us to learn more and get a SolShare.
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