Yes. The government rebate covers all the supply, installation, cabling & workmanship of a 1kW system per apartment. Only those units who want to upgrade & purchase additional panels can do so if they wish.

How much electricity will I get?

Each apartment will receive a 1kW solar system (or 2x 485w panels) fully funded by the government rebate. This is estimated to save around $400 a year.

Is there an option to increase my individual allocation of solar panels?  

Yes! While the government grant will cover the full installation of 2 panels per apartment unit, there is space for more, meaning individual apartment units can purchase additional panels directly for their unit.

You can add additional 485w solar panels to your system for $850 each.

If you wish to take up this option of installing additional panels, please complete the checkbox on the last page. Additional panels subject to available roof-space and allocated on a first come, first served basis.

How many extra panels would I need, if any?

As a general guide:
Low use / don’t want to spend any money – 1kW – Cost: free – additional panels = 0
Low-medium use – 2kW – Cost $1,700 – additional panels = 2
Medium-high use – 3kW+ Cost $3,400+ – additional panels = 4+
For a more personalised recommendation based on your actual usage, email an electricity bill to angelo@tcksolar.com.au

Who owns the system?

The solar system will be owned by the OC, with the benefits going to individual residents.

How often do I need to get the system maintained?

You don’t! Some solar owners get their systems checked over and cleaned every couple of years, which usually only costs $200-300, others go 15-20 years without getting them maintained at all. They are designed to be self-cleaning with the rain, and TCK Solar specifically use technology selected for its durability and reliability.

What kind of panels are they?

TCK Solar only use premium & upper-mid-range panels. For this installation we selected 485w Jinko PV panels with Enphase IQ8 Micro-Inverters.  They were specifically selected due to their performance, durability & reliability.

What kind of warranty do they come with?

25 year performance warranty on the panels. 15-year warranty as standard on the micro-inverters, upgradeable to 25 years very easily.

Who is the grant provided by?

The grant is provided by Solar Victoria, funded by the State Government.

Do I have to sign up?

No. As per the terms of the Solar for Apartments application process, a special resolution is required to be passed by the Owners Corporation to proceed with the funding agreement. Owners can individually opt-out if they wish to.

How much will this reduce my bill?

Our calculations show each apartment should save roughly $350-450 per year with a 1kW solar system.

How will I receive my allocation?

Each apartment will have their share of the rooftop solar system wired behind the meter, which will feed directly into their apartment and power their appliances.

Will we still be able to access the driveway & car park when the works are being carried out?

Yes

Will I need to provide access to my unit?

Potentially, each apartment set up is different and can be assessed once a site visit has been carried out.

Who is installing the solar?

TCK Solar, who specialise in custom solar solutions. They have over 15 years of experience, thousands of completed jobs and a 4.9* rating on Google.

Will I get paid the feed in tariff?

For small systems we generally wouldn’t recommend it, as the feed in tariff is so low it would take too long to recover the cost of switching over your meter.

Is solar safe?

Australia in particular has some of the highest standards in the world in regard to importing and installing solar energy systems. All work is carried out by licensed, accredited and specially trained installers and systems are required to be signed off by an independent authorised electrical inspector.

Will each apartment have its own inverter?

No. Having individual inverters per apartment unit would prove highly costly and inefficient and would take up much of the available grant funding. Instead, micro-inverters will be used, which will allow for more efficient energy production, more even allocation of produced energy, and come with an improved safety profile.

What are the advantages of micro-inverters over traditional string inverters?

With a string inverter, if one panel stops working, they all stop working, and maintenance and troubleshooting is a much more complicated affair.

Micro-inverters are small inverters attached to the back of each panel. They make each panel operate independently, so no panel will affect any others. Maintenance and troubleshooting is therefore much easier.

String inverters usually come with a 5, maybe 10 year warranty, because they are notoriously unreliable.

Enphase micro-inverters come with a 15 year warranty as standard, easily upgradeable to 25 years.

With a string inverter system, the DC current is unable to be turned off, which has a range of associated safety issues, the most significant being that the fire department will not use water to put out any fires with a DC system.

With micro-inverters, the electricity is converted into much safer AC current right on the roof, so the fire department can still use water on the building if there’s a fire.

How do I get more information?

For more info and to discuss any aspects of these works, including adding panels to your allocation, use the contact details below:

Lori Dalton
M: 0407 328 232
E: lori@tcksolar.com.au

If you are interested to read more about the Solar for Apartments program, please click the links below:
Solar for Apartments | solar.vic.gov.au
Solar Savings On The Way For Apartment Residents | Premier of Victoria

If you are interested to get to know more about TCK Solar’s products and offerings please see the link below:
TCK Solar – Melbourne’s Premium Solar + Battery & All-Electric Solutions