Solar for Apartments

Your retailer must seek approval from your Distributed Network Service Provider (DNSP) to connect and export self-generated solar to the grid. You can find your DNSP on Victoria’s Energy website.

Your retailer must also advise you of any export constraints. This needs to happen before they submit your quote through our portal.

Make sure you understand what the DNSP is offering you. Any solar export constraints can change your feed-in-tariff and your ability to join Virtual Power Plants. Find out more about DNSPs.

We will request from your retailer a final quote for your proposed solar panel (PV) system. Rebate funding is reserved when your retailer submits the quote.

We will then send you an email with:

• an Owners Corporation Approval Form (mandatory to complete)
• a Notice of proposed special resolution by ballot (optional template) to use if conducting a special resolution process.

The OC will need to approve the quote by completing the OC Approval Form which must be signed by two OC representatives following an OC resolution outcome process.

If we don’t receive the completed OC Approval Form within 70 calendar days, the rebate funding will be cancelled.

We will assess the form and confirm if your application is approved.

Solar PV systems will be eligible for funding if they:

• supply power to a minimum of 5 residential lots, and no more than 50 lots
• demonstrate a payback period for the system and installation cost within 10 years (the payback period assessment is based on the total cost for supply and installation of the eligible system after any small-scale technology certificates have been applied and prior to application of the funding from the program)
• equitably share the cost saving benefits of the system among participating residents (residential buildings with commercial lots are eligible subject to demonstrating equitable sharing of system costs and benefits)
• for shared solar systems, limits the energy supplied to the building’s common area to the equal proportion available to each residential lot for shared solar systems
• directly supply power to residential lots behind the meter
• are installed on parts of the roof that are common property
• use products on Solar Victoria’s eligible product list and are installed by a Solar Victoria authorised solar retailer, unless otherwise expressly agreed to by Solar Victoria
• have approval from the building’s Distributed Network Service Provider (DNSP) if the applicant wants to connect and export self-generated solar to the grid.

OCs can propose solar panel (PV) systems that are most suited to the needs of their residents. Systems can be made up of individual systems directly connected to residential lots or a single large system coupled with solar sharing technology. We recommend systems that connect to all residential lots, including rentals.

In cases where energy is supplied to the building’s common area, it must not exceed the amount of energy available to each participating residential lot.

The solar panel (PV) system will not be eligible if it:

• is installed through a third-party Power Purchase Agreement
• exclusively provides energy to common areas of the property
• connects to apartments with an existing solar panel (PV) system that was installed in the last 10 years, or
• has already been installed.

Talk with your retailer to set an installation date. All installations must be completed 120 days after we approve the rebates.

We are working with regulators to ensure safety and compliance standards are met. Your installation may be audited under our audit program during or after the installation.

To help you prepare for your solar installation we have created a checklist you can download below.

Your retailer will submit a payment claim to us post installation for the value of the rebate. We will then pay the retailer, and your OC will pay any outstanding balance to your retailer.

Successful applicants may receive funding for up to 100% of system purchase and installation costs, to a maximum of $2,800 per participating household.

The rebate value is calculated based on the total cost of system purchase and installation (including GST), net of any small-scale technology certificates (STC) or other government incentives the installation will attract.