- This topic has 3 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 12 years, 8 months ago by .
-
Topic
-
Hi Jimmy
I was wondering if you have had any issues regarding the installation of solar panels for electricity.
My parents live in a Community Title complex on the Gold Coast in Queensland. The complex consists of over 100 units/villas in clusters of 2 storey buildings with 2 units downstairs and 2 upstairs. My parents live in a unit downstairs. Recently, 3 of the 4 units in their cluster, being 2 down and 1 up applied to the Owners' Corporation to instal solar electricity panels.
Unfortunately, at the time, the Owners Corporation disbanded and approval was allegedly provided but not confirmed in an official forum/committee.
There have since been issues regarding the path of the conduit from the roof above the top unit down the outside of the walls to my parent's property as well as the other downstairs property. The new members of the Owners Corporation is saying that this is on Common Property and the owner of the above unit who is the one that also installed the solar panel is now calling for the lower units to remove the conduit from the outside walls or “common property”.
There is no other way to run the conduit down other than through the internal cavity however doing this would break a firewall and is not feasible.
I think the issue is exacerbated as it is the first time the Owner's Corporation has been asked to consider installation of solar panels and it has not really thought through the issues either especially with regard to the conduit.
I was just wondering what your experience has been in relation to installation of solar electricity panels and associated conduit in Strata/Community Titles.
Thanks very much
Kind Regards
Cristiane
-
Replies
-
Hi Cristiane – As I've recently coordinated the installation of 6 x 2kW Solar Arrays and Inverters on the Common Property of our 27 Lot Plan in NSW, I thought I'd offer this short response in advance of those by Jimmy and others.
After discussions with our local Electricity Supply Authority we resolved to create a Special By-Law that covered where the various components of the Solar System could be placed on the Common Property (roof & walls).
Generally, we stipulated that all components except the roof-mounted solar panels themselves (which should ideally face north) had to be placed on the Common Property such that they weren't visible from the street frontage of the Plan, or from the living or recreational areas of other Lots.
Our only compliance issue was the cabling, which has to be within a white coloured PVC conduit, but we overcame that by using conduit with a square profile which was placed hard-up against the edges of the downpipes.
The Inverters were placed on the internal wall of the garage/s; again Common Property but covered by the Special By-Law.
Where there's a (good) will, there's a way.
I'm not familiar with Qld Strata Laws, but I'm sure that as with NSW, Owners Corporations are required to behave reasonably.
Over to the others …….
Hi Cristiane,
Apart from the fact that there was no formal approval in the first place, you are right in that the issues need to be thought through and properly understood so that the appropriate approvals and by-laws can be put in place. It is very common that conduit and other system elements will need to be external.
You might like to have a chat to the QLD Dept of Infrastructure & Planning. There's some smart legislation they introduced, under the heading of “Ban the Banners”, to facilitate installation of solar hot water and solar panels for units and townhouses – and ensure that installations aren't prohibited on appearance grounds. You can find a fact sheet at
I don't know any of the finer points, but hopefully the department can give you some more detail on what the owners corporation can and cannot object to.
Another fact sheet compiled by the Go Solar project team here in NSW summarises the issues that need to be considered by an Owners Corporation:
I'd love to hear how you go.
Cheers
Chris
If things are proving too hard in Qld or anywhere else, I suggest looking at and lobbying for what the ACT has done in this area to streamline sustainability infrastructure on common property. In particular our Act now deals with things like approving conduits traversing common property as part of a sustainability proposal.
See https://www.justice.act.gov.au/review/view/17 and pick the factsheet on sustainability etc.
Cheers,
Peter from Canberra.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.