FUTURE PROOFING
Not only has SolShare significantly reduced the amount of hardware and footprint required , but it has also reduced installation costs as compared to a typical solar system .
Jack Taylor , General Manager of Europe , Allume Energy
While the UK is among the top 12 countries for solar power capacity , only 4.1 % of the UK ’ s 29 million homes now generate electricity from solar power – and the growth in solar energy alternatives has been mostly confined to commercial buildings and to single-family detached properties . This is despite the growth in multi-unit dwellings . In 2021 , 5.4 million households resided in flat , maisonette or apartment accommodation – up from 4.9 million households in 2011 .
Research undertaken by the Center for Sustainable Systems as part of the University of Michigan in the US revealed that although apartments are generally significantly smaller in size than houses , those situated in buildings of five or more units still emitted significant amounts of emissions – typically as much as 50 % of houses .
According to the International Energy Agency ( IEA ), solar is now the cheapest energy source in the world – and the need to switch to a more sustainable source of energy is evident . So why have so few multi-unit properties – both private and local authority-owned – taken advantage of solar systems ? Primarily it ’ s because , until now , options for installing individual solar systems and connecting them up to individual units were a largely unworkable solution for both developers and retro-fits due to cost , footprint and inefficient energy utilisation . Historic technical and ownership barriers are also difficult to navigate , due to the dominant leasehold ownership model of most flats in the UK .
However , a recent solar system installation in Cardiff has demonstrated how these challenges have been cost-effectively and elegantly overcome .
New kid on the block
Earlier this year , Wales and West Housing ( WWH ) and the Welsh government announced the first installation of Allume Energy ’ s innovative solar technology to provide clean , affordable electricity to a 24-unit residential block of flats in Cardiff .
With a typical solar PV system , this would normally have entailed the installation of 24 sets of panels , inverters and batteries , taking up valuable physical space and involving greater cost and installation time , as well as far from optimal energy utilisation .
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