Melbourne-based Allume Energy’s SolShare system, that allows residents in multi-unit buildings to share the energy generated from a single rooftop solar array across individually electricity meters, has scooped the pool at Australia’s Good Design awards.
The SolShare system received the 2026 Australian Good Design Award of the Year, the Australian Good Design Award for Sustainability, and was also named the joint winner of Best in Discipline Award for Product Design at the awards ceremony in Sydney on Friday night.
Designed and manufactured in Melbourne, Allume’s SolShare platform allows the energy produced by a single solar system to be distributed between separately metered dwellings according to their instantaneous energy needs. The system’s algorithm ensures solar energy consumption is maximised on site before any energy is fed back to the grid.
The Good Design Award jury described SolShare as “true design excellence,” adding it was impressed by “the intelligent real-time demand allocation system and the product’s demonstrated impact in making renewable energy accessible to communities historically excluded from rooftop solar benefits.”
“Apartment residents share a roof but have had no practical way to share its solar,” the jury said. “SolShare changes that, connecting a single rooftop system to up to 15 apartments and directing power in real time to where it is needed most, without new meters, retailers or building overhauls.”
The win follows this year’s launch of SolShare 2, a redesign of Allume’s original technology released in 2019 that increases SolShare’s energy capacity by 36% and makes it possible for apartment residents to share an optimised battery as well as rooftop solar.
Allume Chief Product Officer Stella Knorr said the system has transformed a previously inaccessible population segment – apartment residents – into a cornerstone of the clean energy transition.
“Closing the solar divide between freestanding home and apartment residents has been our goal from day one, so it’s fantastic to see the team’s work and the impact this home-grown Aussie innovation is now having worldwide recognised in this way,” she said. “Our design approach is a big part of what’s allowed us to reach thousands more apartment residents and renters to date, and we’re expecting a significant ramp-up in the number of apartment residents SolShare is helping to save in the years to come.”
Allume said the ‘behind the meter’ system has delivered the benefits of solar to more than 13,000 apartments across Australia and the United Kingdom, contributing an estimated 28 GWh of clean energy to date.
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Great to see an Australian innovation making solar more accessible to apartment residents! 👏 Sharing rooftop solar and battery storage across multiple households is a smart step towards a more sustainable future. At Volts Electrics, we’re equally passionate about helping Australians make better use of clean energy. Congratulations to Allume Energy on this well-deserved recognition!
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