Social Access Solar Gardens

Project overview

Lead Organisation
University of Technology Sydney
Location
New South Wales
Queensland
Victoria
ARENA Program
Advancing Renewables Program
Start date
1 January 2018
End date
31 January 2019
Project Partners
NSW Government, Bendigo Sustainability Group, Blacktown Council, Brotherhood of St Laurence, Byron Shire Council, Community Owned Renewable Energy Mullumbimbi (COREM), Community Power Agency, Energy Queensland, Enova Community, Energy Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney, Norton Rose Fullbright, Pingala, Powershop, Queensland Council of Social Services, Repower Shoalhaven, Shoalhaven Council, Swan Hill Shire Council
This solar project was completed on 31 January 2019.

Summary

The Social Access Solar Gardens Project will prototype four of the first solar gardens projects in Australia in locations across New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. The Project aims to enable solar gardens that will benefit the 30% of Australian consumers currently excluded from owning solar PV.

How the project works

The The Social Access Solar Gardens Project will work by installing a central solar array, generally near a population centre. Energy customers can purchase or subscribe panels in the solar array. The electricity generated is them credited on the customer’s electricity bill.

The project has two major streams of work:

Research; and
Development of prototype social access solar gardens business models.

This project consists of:

Project Knowledge

Contact

Name: Jay Rutovitz, Research Director
Email: jay.rutovitz@uts.edu.au

Last updated
17 November 2020

Learn more

Report: Social Access Solar Gardens for Australia

The report details findings from the implementation of solar gardens projects and the barriers that would prevent the social access solar garden model from working in Australia.

Media Release: Solar Gardens to Bring Rooftop Solar to All Australians

ARENA announced funding for a feasibility study that could allow the third of Australians who rent, live in apartments or live in low income housing to access the benefits of rooftop solar.

Area of innovation

Solar gardens are the fastest growing segment in the US solar industry, contributing 200MW of new photovoltaic capacity in 2016. However, in Australia solar gardens are not yet available.

Through Solar gardens, the project partners aim to either:

Develop between one and four pilot Solar Gardens that are de-risked and ready to implement and are underpinned by business models that are desirable to locked-out energy users, viable and feasible to implement; or
Identify the specific barriers that would prevent the Social Access Solar Garden model from working, and identify potential solutions to overcome these barriers.

Benefit

With a solar garden, any electricity customer can participate in and benefit from solar energy. The solar panels may be located off-site, but the household receives a financial outcome on their bill, a bit like having solar on their own roof.

Social Access Solar Gardens are a type of Solar Gardens that specifically seek to enable locked out and the most vulnerable and low-income energy users to participate in solar.

Solar Access Gardens webpage

Last updated 17 November 2020

ARENAWIRE Blogs

Solar Garden revolution in Australia

Solar gardens, that allow you to own rooftop solar even if you don’t own your own roof, could bring the benefits of renewable energy to Australian households that until now have been shut out of the market.