Orlando apartments demonstrate new shared solar hardware solution SolShare

Multifamily buildings and rental communities can be tough candidates for solar in terms of a design and ROI that works for each stakeholder. But with 21.9 million apartment units in the U.S., it is a sizable opportunity for the right solution. Allume Energy thinks it has cracked the code though with SolShare, a behind-the-meter tool that allows apartments to share a single rooftop solar system.

This solution directly integrates with traditional electricity billing processes for renters and owners of apartments — cutting out the need for a separate payment platform or complex, blockchain-based trading solutions directing the flow of clean energy between residents. SolShare also monitors each unit’s demand over time to determine optimal delivery and as well as cost parity among users, regardless of their individual demand needs.

Allume says this process results in up to 55% more solar being consumed on site versus set-ups where each apartment has its own solar system and can reduce electricity bills by up to 40%, and the company is ready to prove it with its first commissioned U.S. project: A behind-the-meter shared solar system in Orlando.

Announced this week by Allume, Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC), RENU Communities (RENU), and esaSolar, residents at Canopy Villa Apartments (a 296-unit, garden-style multi-family apartment complex) will can subscribe to a portion of the shared solar energy produced on the roof, offsetting the cost of their individual electricity bills.

This project is the first asset within the recently announced ESG-centric venture between Taurus Investment Holdings, LLC and Aegon Asset Management. By utilizing Taurus’ sustainable retrofit subsidiary, RENU, the partnership will acquire multifamily assets, aiming to significantly reduce the energy consumption and carbon output of those assets, in addition to improving the quality of life for residents with each project.

For Canopy, RENU partnered with esaSolar to develop, design, and install the solar array as well as integrate the SolShare technology to the existing electrical system. As a local solar development and construction firm, esaSolar provided key technical consulting to ensure the system would operate correctly with OUC’s electric grid.

“Orlando is one of the fastest growing cities in Florida, it needs to develop affordable housing solutions that also prioritize energy efficiency and sustainability,” said Morgan Brawner, esaSolar’s Vice President of Business Development.

Tags: Allume Energy, commercial and industrial, multifamily, sales and marketing