Community energy solar financing

There are many community members in the Inner West who are keen to invest in solar but can’t. They may live in an apartment, rent or not have a suitable roof on their home.

Community energy groups are not-for-profit member co-operatives or investment trusts that enable members to crowd-fund rooftop solar installations on host businesses. Groups receive a return on their investment when the host business leases the solar system or purchases the solar output via a power purchase agreement for 7 to 10 years. The community energy group retains ownership of the installed solar system and is responsible for its operation and maintenance.

Why consider third party community energy funding for your business solar project?

• Gain the benefits of solar savings even if you don’t have the capital to buy a solar system outright
• Corporate branding – deliver on your business’s sustainability objectives to lower your carbon footprint
• Community development – see your community gain benefits for 7 to 10 years as the solar returns are retained locally
• Customer engagement – appeal to your environmentally conscious customer base. Over 75% of Australians say they support renewable energy
• After the set contract period, you will own the system outright and enjoy the full benefits

Community energy funded solar projects in the Inner West

Host business	Location	Solar system size	Community energy group funding	Picture
Young Henry’s Microbrewery	Newtown	33kW	Pingala Community Energy
The Yard Eatery / Canterbury Hurlstone Park RSL Club	Camperdown	36kW	Inner West Community Energy
Sydney Buddhist Centre	Newtown	7.2kW	Pingala Community Energy

Community energy groups operating in the Inner West

Inner West Community Energy

IWCE has been operating for 3 years and has a part-time dedicated solar project manager. The group facilitates residential solar installations and has completed 103 across the Greater Sydney area, working with pre-vetted local solar installers.

The 2020 36kW Acre eatery installation is their first commercial project and they are keen to do more. No minimum project size.

IWCE offers two models:

1. You pay for, own, and operate the system
2. IWCE owns the system (leased roof space), and you purchase your power through a PPA (power purchase agreement) with IWCE

• Contact: Gavin Gilchrist, Project Manager, gavin.gilchrist@innerwestcommunityenergy.org.au
• www.innerwestcommunityenergy.org.au

Pingala Community Energy

Pingala is a citizen-led energy movement, working for a fast and fair transition to clean energy. They help businesses transition to renewable energy as well as communities that are locked out of solar including indigenous communities and women’s refuges.

Pingala runs a member co-operative model for investing in business solar projects and offers leasing or loan models.

• Contact: Nigel Hancock, Treasurer, nigel@pingala.org.au
• www.pingala.org.au

Clearsky Solar

Clearsky Solar has been operating for 8 years,  has installed 8-9MWh of solar capacity across Australia and is keen to finance a solar project in Sydney’s Inner West over 15kW.

The group invites 20 investors per solar project, which can range from 15kW up to 600kW. The group operates under a trust model and partners with solar installer Smart Commercial Solar, who are registered on the Beam Solar reverse auction online platform.

• Contact: Warren Yates, Director, wyates@clearskysolar.com.au
• www.clearskysolar.com.au

Download community energy solar financing for business fact sheet  (PDF 178.5KB)

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