Advocacy group, Solar Citizens, has outlined a series of policy proposals in its Federal Government Pre-Budget submission aimed at improving access to rooftop solar, shared renewable energy and energy storage for renters and apartment dwellers.
The submission notes that while rooftop solar adoption has continued to grow. Notably, more than 4.2 million households and businesses now hosting solar systems and over 200,000 installing home batteries. However, approximately one-third of Australians are unable to access these technologies.
Heidi Lee Douglas, Chief Executive at Solar Citizens, said the challenge is driven by the “split incentive” between landlords and tenants, where property owners fund upgrades while tenants receive the resulting energy bill savings.
Rental housing upgrades
To address this issue, Solar Citizens has proposed combining state-based minimum energy efficiency standards for rental properties with a federal tax incentive to encourage landlord investment. The proposal includes accelerated depreciation for clean energy and energy efficiency upgrades, such as rooftop solar, batteries, insulation and heat pumps.
According to the submission, the measure would require around $5 million per year in federal funding for program administration and would be revenue neutral over the long term. The organisation has recommended that access to the incentive be conditional on tenants receiving energy bill savings, limits on rent increases related to upgrades, and compliance with existing tenancy protections and minimum energy efficiency standards.
Shared renewable energy in urban areas
The submission also proposes the development of Urban Renewable Energy Zone pilot projects, funded through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA). Under the model, large commercial and public buildings (including warehouses, shopping centres and schools) would host large-scale rooftop solar and battery systems, with electricity shared locally with nearby apartments and high-density housing.
Solar Citizens estimates there is up to 28 gigawatts of potential for rooftop solar and storage on commercial and industrial buildings in Australian cities. The organisation is calling for $100 million over four years to support program design, regulatory reform, stakeholder engagement and limited place-based deployment.
Vehicle-to-grid charging
The submission also highlights electric vehicles (EV) as a potential source of future energy storage capacity. ARENA estimates vehicle-to-grid charging could account for more than one-third of total energy storage by 2030, potentially deferring up to $94 billion in large-scale battery investment.
Solar Citizens has proposed a $300 million incentive program over four years to support the uptake of bidirectional EV chargers through an expanded Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme.