Can we add solar when we change operator or renew with Active?
Yes, and it is often the best time to do it. If another operator runs your network, Active takes it over first, because that is what lets the solar connect. If we already run it, renewal is the natural point to add it. Either way, the metering and the network are being reviewed anyway, so solar, battery storage and EV charging can be added in the same process. The return on that sits with the building for the life of the asset.
Can you put solar panels on an apartment building?
Yes, the harder question is how the power is shared once it is generated, and the network answers it: the solar feeds the network and can reach every lot and the common areas. That is why Active delivers solar in embedded network buildings. Roof space, shading and the building’s load set how big the system can be, and we check all three before recommending a size.
Does the owners corporation need to approve strata solar?
Usually, yes. Installing equipment on common property normally needs a resolution of the owners corporation (the body corporate in Queensland) rather than a committee decision. Your strata manager will confirm what applies. We prepare the material for the meeting, including the modelled return, so owners can vote on the numbers.
How is the installation paid for?
Active offers flexible options for the cost of installation, so the building is not left choosing between funding it all up front or not doing it at all. Which option suits depends on the building and the financial model the owners corporation chooses, or the developer on a new build. We set the options out at the assessment so they can be compared side by side.
What is embedded network solar?
It is rooftop solar connected inside a building’s embedded network, behind the single connection the site takes from the grid. Because the network meters every lot, the generation can be used across the whole building instead of being tied to one apartment or to common property alone. It is one of the main reasons solar stacks up financially in an embedded network and so rarely does apartment by apartment.
Who benefits from solar in a strata scheme?
Residents, common property, or both. Because the solar runs through the embedded network, the value can come back to residents through their rates, to common property, which brings down the levy every owner pays, or to both. The financial model the owners corporation agrees sets the split.