Strata Buildings Can Convert to Solar – Auroa Lane Cove Did it

Aurora Lane Cove is located opposite The Canopy.  Recently they commissioned 185 solar panels on their roof.  The panels are expected to produce more than 132,000 Kilowatt hours of renewable energy per year.

John Forrest from the Executive Committee said this is double what they would normally use in their common areas, including the lifts, lights, and pumps.

The additional energy generated will initially be sold back to the grid, but the committee is planning to use the extra power to enable residents to have Electric Vehicle (EV) charging facilities in the near future.

John Forrest said that it’s pretty obvious that EV Vehicles are coming and that strata buildings in Lane Cove need to be able to provide charging facilities.

“Our committee attended the Lane Cove Council Sustainability Lane event last October, and the information provided there convinced us to max out the amount of energy we could produce and take advantage of load sharing to reduce our reliance on the grid”, he said.

The Good Earth group installed the panels and inverters.

“We hope in time to add batteries to our system to make our common property energy demands free from the grid”, said Mr Forrest. But in the meantime, the solar panels will more than halve the Strata’s common property electricity bills.

Another factor that convinced the committee to proceed with such a big project was that the addition of solar and EV charging would substantially improve the capital value of the units at Aurora.

The Aurora Committee also credits the Lane Cove Council, as the Committee was successful in getting a grant under their Sustainability Rebates program. This helped with the overall costs of the system.

Alicia Lloyd, the Sustainability Coordinator—Community Programs, congratulated the Aurora Committee on its approach. “This project is a great example of how solar can benefit local apartment complexes. Council is happy to support such a great initiative and accelerate the uptake of renewable energy,” she said.

John Forrest said the transition to solar is not that difficult – It makes sense to do it now. He suggested that other strata who are interested should possibly engage a consultant. Changes to Strata by-laws are very simple, and if you need help on your solar journey, contact the Council.

Learn About Solar – 5 June 2024

Learn about solar on apartments from your local neighbourhood champions, saving both money and the environment.

Learn how the energy from solar systems can be shared between residents, what size system you should get, how much it will cost, how much you will save and your positive environmental impact.

Lane Cove Council is holding a Learn About Solar Session on 5 June 2024. Brent Clark from Wattblock, who has over 12 years of experience in strata sustainability, will co-facilitate the session. Zero Emissions Solutions will also provide resources and information, including valuable case studies.

It’s your opportunity to ask questions from local community champions, your neighbours, who have installed solar in their apartments and learn from their journey.

Find out about the Council and Government programs that can support you to install solar panels, batteries and more.

The information session is co-hosted by Lane Cove Council and volunteers from Zero Emissions Solutions and the Council’s Sustainability Collective. It is also a collaboration with neighbouring Councils, Ku-ring-gai, Mosman, Ryde, and Willoughby City Councils.