Sydney company wins deal to install solar on 2,600 Aboriginal Housing rooftops

Sydney-based company Solar Juice has sealed a deal with the New South Wales government’s Aboriginal Housing Office to supply 8.5MW of rooftop PV systems to up to 2,600 properties across the state, starting this month.

The massive rooftop solar rollout, announced by Solar Juice’s Nasdaq-listed parent company SPI Energy on Wednesday, is to be deployed over a 12-month period across residential properties under the AHO umbrella.

SPI Energy said in its statement that the contract had been awarded following a recent $212 million state government stimulus package to the AHO, to further expand its work and create employment opportunities for Indigenous Australians.

“This solar program is designed to provide economic benefits to Aboriginal people and also contributes to zero emissions in the future,” said SolarJuice sales director, Andrew Burgess.

The latest raft of installations follows a similar $2.95 million NSW government initiative, announced in September 2020, that upgraded 689 AHO homes on the state’s mid-north coast and 272 Land and Housing Corporation (LAHC) homes in the Riverina region with solar panels.

“Our programs are making a real difference for Aboriginal and regional tenants, delivering free energy when the sun is shining and reducing financial stress for families by saving them up to $1,000 each year on their energy bills,” said state minister for housing, Melinda Pavey at the time.

“Tenants also learn about best-practice power usage, meaning they can relax and feel more comfortable running appliances like air conditioners and fans over the hot summer months, without worrying about high energy bills.

“The delivery of these programs also supports regional employment and provides an important economic boost to regional economies as our communities continue to grapple with the ongoing impacts of drought, bushfire and the Covid-19 pandemic,” the minister said.

Another AHO rooftop solar round was initiated back in August 2017, when the state government-run organisation called for tenders to supply and retrofit 970 rooftop PV systems.