$25 million to encourage shared solar for apartments

The Australian Government is working with the NSW Government to deliver a new $25 million program to help apartment residents save up to $600 on their energy bills annually.

The ‘Solar for apartment residents’ incentive provides co-funding to eligible owners’ corporations and strata managers to install shared rooftop solar systems.

Currently one in five NSW homes are apartments, yet only about 3.5% of those are connected to solar. This program is said to expand access to renewable technology and lower the cost of residents’ power bills.

“We want to make it cheaper and easier for every Australian to install rooftop solar, because whether a home is a house or apartment, everyone should be able to take advantage of cleaner, cheaper solar to bust bills for good,” said the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen.

The program is said to also cover up to 50% of the cost of installing shared solar systems on apartments or other multi-unit dwellings, up to a maximum of $150,000 per project.

This incentive, funded by the federal government’s Solar Banks Scheme, is focused on removing the barriers to accessing solar nationwide and is a key action in the state government’s Consumer Energy Strategy.

“We’re excited to launch this initiative here in NSW, making solar power more accessible and affordable for the many people who live in apartments,” said NSW Minister for Climate Change and Energy Penny Sharpe.

“Solar should be available to everyone. This program removes the barriers to renewable energy for units and apartments, making it easier and more affordable to adopt solar.”

Owners’ corporations or strata managers of apartments or other multi-unit dwellings with three to 55 units are eligible to apply, as long as they haven’t had a solar PV system installed in the last 10 years.

Applications are now open and will close on 1 December 2025 or when funding is exhausted.

Image credit: iStock.com/Maryana Serdynska