A unique partnership between Mirvac and Allume Energy aims to provide Australians with greater access to renewable energy through state-of-the-art technology that will deliver solar energy to apartments.
With electricity prices more than doubling in the past 10 years, Australians have increasingly committed to renewable energy and millions of households have installed solar panels. However, until now, apartment-dwellers have had limited access to this affordable and renewable energy source.
Mirvac Head of Residential, Stuart Penklis, said in the past they were limited in the use of solar in multi-occupant buildings (such as apartments or offices) due to limited roof space, but Allume’s technology is set to allow broader access to affordable solar power.
Allume Energy’s technology was developed to allow apartment residents to share power from a single solar system. This technology is a first of its kind globally.
“We were so impressed with the technology that we have partnered with Allume and will deliver their shared solar technology on select apartments in our brand new Folia apartment building which has just launched at our prestigious Tullamore community in Doncaster, Victoria and we are now assessing it for use across all our assets,” Mr Penklis detailed.
Through results delivered by the technology to date, it is anticipated that up to 40 per cent of energy savings will be made based on average residential household usage.
The Allume solar energy system works like this:
- Step One: A solar panel array is installed on the roof of the building.
- Step Two: The solar energy created will be sent to the installed SOLSHARE distribution technology.
- Step Three: The technology dynamically distributes the solar energy to individual apartments for their use, reducing their reliance on electricity from the grid.
- Step Four: Residents can monitor their energy usage via an online account on Allume Energy’s webpage. Residents purchase grid electricity from their preferred energy supplier.
Mirvac has also announced that Melbourne-based Bunjil Energy will supply and install the solar panels at Folia. Bunjil Energy collaborates with not-for-profit organisations to provide opportunities for young, Indigenous people, as well as actively seeking to employ additional Indigenous solar electrical apprentices.