Solar for Apartments information for retailers

The Solar for Apartments Program is jointly funded by the Victorian and Commonwealth governments and will help to remove existing barriers for installing solar on apartment buildings and enable retailers to provide apartment residents with safe and effective solar technologies.

Successful applicants are eligible for a grant of up to $2,800 per apartment. The maximum grant amount is $140,000 for buildings of up to 50 apartments.

Round 1 applications are open until 31 May 2024 with further rounds to follow.

For detailed information on the eligibility requirements and application process, download the Solar for Apartments Eligibility Requirements document from the Solar for Apartments webpage.

Installations must be completed by authorised solar retailers and accredited installers, unless expressly agreed to by Solar Victoria in writing.

Application process

For Round 1 grants are delivered directly to Owners Corporations (OCs) who will enter into a funding agreement with Solar Victoria.

The grant discount is not applied by the retailer and OCs will need to pay the upfront costs of the installation with grant funding provided to them after milestones are met.

The application process follows two steps:

Step 1 (conditional-approval)

Solar Victoria will assess the applicant's eligibility.

This will require an initial quote from the retailer and endorsement from the OC.

A feasibility report can also be accepted at this stage of the process instead of a quote. It should detail the proposed system design and provide an estimate of the expected system capacity, energy cost savings and total purchase and installation cost.

Step 2 (final approval)

Solar Victoria will confirm the final funding amount and invite the OC to sign a funding agreement. This will require a final quote and payback period assessment from the retailer.

Example of final quote

Payback period assessment

To be eligible for a grant, a demonstrated payback period for the proposed system and installation cost within 10 years is also required. This must be calculated at the apartment level and provided with the final quote.

The payback period assessment is to be based on the total cost for supply and installation of the proposed system after any STCs have been applied and prior to application of the Solar for Apartments grant.

The payback period assessment should be prepared in line with the requirements of the New Energy Tech Consumer Code (NETCC). For more information and guidance, see the NETCC website.

Milestone payments

Grants are provided to OCs once milestones are met.

Milestone 1

The first payment is made to the OC after an invoice from the retailer to the applicant that the Eligible System has been ordered.

It must include:

1. the costs for the Eligible System; and
2. any deposits/payments made towards installation for the Project.

Example of milestone 1 invoice

Milestone 2

The second and final payment is made to the OC when evidence of installation is provided.

To support this, the retailer should provide the following to the OC:

1. An invoice detailing a summary of the activity undertaken.

Example of milestone 2 invoice

1. An STC Assignment Form for each participating apartment building/lot (whichever relevant based on solar system connection type)
2. A Certificate of Electrical Safety for the supply and installation of the Solar System for each participating apartment lot.

Solar sharing requirements

Under the program, an interface protection system must be installed for all eligible systems based on inverter power sharing devices where the connected inverter energy system nameplate KiloVolt Amps (kVA) capacity is greater than 30.

Retailers must also ensure that the original equipment manufacturer provides a minimum 5 year whole-of-product warranty on all Solar Sharing Technology or major components that may be used in the eligible system.

Safety installation guidance

We have developed a series of technical solution sheets with WorkSafe Victoria to help installers in our program work safely at height and published links to other safety installation guidance.