Australian pioneer in shared rooftop solar scores big from Biden billions

Melbourne-based shared solar pioneer Allume Energy has been revealed among the winners in the US government’s $7 billion Solar for All program, as part of a Florida coalition awarded $US156 million to install PV on apartments.

Allume Energy, which has developed world-leading technology for connecting apartments and multi-unit residences to rooftop solar systems, was founded in 2015 and has since gone from strength to strength. 

SolShare, Allume Energy’s Australian-made solar solution for apartments, enables the sharing of solar energy from a single rooftop solar PV system amongst multiple dwellings within the same building. 

Already operating in five countries, including the United States where it launched two years ago, demand for Allume Energy’s unique SolShare technology has again been validated overseas. 

The US Environmental Protection Agency announced on Tuesday 60 recipients of a total $US7 billion in grants through the country’s Solar for All program, which is designed to target the rollout of solar to low-income and disadvantaged communities. 

Amongst the recipients was the Solar and Energy Loan Fund of St. Lucie County, leader of a coalition which includes Allume Energy, which will receive $US156 million in funding from the Solar for All program. 

Allume Energy revealed its participation in the coalition via its LinkedIn page on Tuesday following the announcement. 

“This initiative will connect 3000-4000 apartments in Florida with clean, affordable energy,” Allume Energy said on LinkedIn. 

“This is a huge win for lower-moderate income communities, struggling with the rising cost of living.”

Funding for the Solar for All program stems from President Joe Biden’s Investing in America agenda through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which in turn created the EPA’s $US27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. 

Passed in mid-2022, the IRA – named such as a concession to secure the votes of moderate Democrat senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema – unlocked $US370 billion worth of funding for climate and energy investments. 

In response, according to Australia’s own Clean Energy Council, “The IRA has unleashed a wave of clean energy investment announcements since it was passed in August 2022, exceeding $US420 billion worth of capital investments, 282GW of clean energy projects, and 42,000 American manufacturing jobs.”

While scorned by many, the IRA’s investment in clean energy has clearly demonstrated the huge value of government support for the clean energy transition, and the economic benefits such support can unlock for companies around the globe – including a number of Australian companies, Allume Energy among them. 

Announcement of its success in the Solar for All funding comes less than eight months after Allume Energy secured a $US1.5 million bridge investment from two American investors designed to help roll out the company’s SolShare to over 4,000 residents across the south-east of the US. 

The investment follows a first pilot in the US city of Orlando, which demonstrated potential annual savings of $US1,166 per apartment across the first year of operation, including net metering credit savings.

“Until recently, solar technology has primarily been saving money for people who already have it,” said Cameron Knox, Allume CEO and co-founder, speaking in mid-2023.

“We need to ensure we include everyone in the energy transition. This partnership will ensure low-income communities can benefit from clean, affordable energy from the sun.”