Solar Energy For Apartment Buildings
Community solar allows those living in apartments or rental properties to receive credit on their electricity bills for the power produced from their portion of a solar array thereby offsetting their electricity costs according to solar energy industries association.
Solar energy for apartment buildings. The easiest option for going solar in a condominium or multi family building is to use the solar system to offset electricity usage in common spaces for elevators lighting and hvac systems. Solar powered apartment buildings can bring renewable energy to people who otherwise wouldn t be able to afford installation. Solar power for apartment building april 21 2016 it is becoming increasingly cost effective for apartment blocks office towers and strata managed buildings to use a common roof area for multiple solar power systems. Our example system above needs 448 watt hours of electricity per day.
To make the system as efficient as possible but also fair the solshare delivers the same amount of solar energy to each apartment over the course of a month but supplies it when it s needed by each unit. With portable solar panels for apartments physical size will be the limiting factor as rooftop panels are about 3 feet wide by 5 feet tall too big for a window sill. These groups allow people to lower their electricity bill by connecting to solar panels located elsewhere from their dwelling. Solar panel solar panels come in all sizes.
If the tenant pays their own electric bill. But it would ultimately be up to landlords who install the systems to. But the benefits haven t extended much to those living in apartments a hefty population in the region. The company was responsible for melbourne s tallest solar array and often installs panels atop of apartment buildings to power common areas alleviating the cost on owners corporations.
Instead look at panels around 35 to 50 watts. This approach will work if the building is master metered or is separately metered with an electric meter for the common spaces. The solshare solution is essentially a smart diverter that enables solar energy from a single rooftop solar system to be shared between multiple apartments within the same building. But there and pros and cons of solar panels when it comes to apartment buildings.
If the tenants living in your units pay their own electric bill each month the addition of solar power can help them reduce costs. As solar regulations have eased and prices have decreased many new york homeowners have started utilizing solar energy. In southern ontario a solar photovoltaic pv system for a mid sized building with southern exposure requires about 850 square feet of sloped roof and a 30 000 to 40 000 capital outlay for a 10 kilowatt ac rooftop system down from 75 000 only three years ago. Apartment buildings often have large common roof areas that are well suited to solar power.