Increasing the Uptake of Solar PV in Strata Residential Developments

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The Increasing the Uptake of Solar PV in Strata Residential Developments project will develop governance models to allow shared solar photovoltaics (PV), battery and monitoring systems to be used in medium density apartments. The governance models will be tested at 50 units of the White Gum Valley development in Perth.Key resultsThis project installed 3 solar battery systems in the White Gum Valley development in Western Australia. It provided the basis for unlocking market uptake for solar photovoltaic (PV) energy solutions within strata developments in Australia, through innovative design, technology and shared governance.The project developed a governance framework that overcomes barriers that preclude the uptake of solar PV panels in medium and high density residential developments. The governance framework was developed to be adaptable and scalable to suit different development types. The project also integrated electric vehicle charging and electricity sharing and trading approaches, and explored the associated challenges. In addition, the governance model allowed for trading of unused renewable energy by one unit, to either another unit or to the common property, if these exceeded their allocated portion.From the policy perspective, this project has demonstrated the benefits of unbundled network costs for sharing DER on a local network. It found that in order to properly utilise the benefits of DER and to benefit from their full range of services, it is necessary to also unbundle network charges for local use.

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