South Australian renewable energy solutions provider Venergy Solar has partnered with Australia’s largest listed residential developer Stockland to deliver a more-than 4.4 MW integrated rooftop solar initiative spread across four of its retirement lifestyle communities in Victoria.
The project involved the installation of “customised” 3.96 kW rooftop solar systems equipped with advanced power line communication (PLC) technology across 1,120 homes in four of Stockland’s Halcyon community developments.
Venergy said each installation, included as part of the building package, was tailored to the home’s orientation and structure, fully embedded within Stockland’s network infrastructure, and integrated with Sungrow’s iSolarCloud management and monitoring platform. The sites have also been designed to support future community battery energy storage integration.
The residential solar initiative delivers approximately 4.43 MW of combined capacity, capable of generating 5,540 MWh of clean electricity in its first year.
Venergy founder and Chief Executive Officer Matthew Wilkins said the project sets a new benchmark for sustainable community design and shows how commercially viable, future-ready renewable solutions can be delivered at scale.
“This project represents a pivotal step in Australia’s clean energy future,” he said. “By working collaboratively with Stockland, we’ve delivered one of the country’s largest residential solar deployments, powered by an innovative, scalable model that drastically reduces cost and complexity.”
Wilkins said embedded networks – private electrical networks, rather than the transmission or distribution networks – often face design, metering and cost barriers that limit solar uptake but this deployment uses PLC technology applied over existing fibre to streamline installation and dramatically reduce costs.
“By rethinking how we apply solar technology, we’ve reduced installation costs by 90% and opened the door to affordable, clean energy for thousands of Australians,” he said, adding that the initiative has become a replicable model for residential embedded network solar integration nationwide.
“The rollout demonstrates how established technologies can be applied efficiently at scale in segments that have traditionally struggled with solar adoption,” he said.
James Westh, general manager of Stockland’s Halcyon Victoria operation, said the project has not only delivered future-ready infrastructure but also enabled the company to provide clean, affordable energy at scale.
“This project has become a national benchmark in sustainable community living,” he said, with estimates suggesting the project will save more than $1 million (USD 660,000) in household energy costs in its first year.
Venergy, which has delivered more than 20,000 installations across the country, said it is already in discussions with major developers across several states to replicate this model in retirement and lifestyle communities.
“Our focus is on proving that large-scale solar integration is both financially viable and scalable,” Wilkins said.
“By aligning the interests of residents, developers, and sustainability objectives, we’re creating a blueprint for communities that deliver long-term value, resilience, and carbon reduction at a national scale.”
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