Solar
Get the facts on solar and the grid before you buy or apply to connect your home or business.
Installing solar energy in your home
Solar panels may all look similar, but there’s no “one-size-fits-all” solution. There are lots of different factors to consider when choosing your solar power system, from the solar inverter type, to the mounting system, to the accreditations of the installer.
So, if you’re looking for advice on how to get the most from your solar power system, look no further.
Solar FAQs
Stratas, lifestyle villages and other multi-residential sites usually share a single connection to the grid. These properties can have tens or even hundreds of homes behind a 'shared connection', which means that the combined total of installed solar generation can easily pass the 30kVA limit. Above this limit an installation needs to comply with more complex connection requirements and higher costs associated with the larger (above 30kVA) application.
To allow residents of such sites to take advantage of solar power an exemption is available to the land-owners or their representative e.g. the strata management company, of multi-residential sites to allow these sites to contain up to 500kVA of generation without incurring the fees associated with a larger application.
This exemption is applied for by the land-owners of the site or their representative.
How this may affect your application:
- If it's predicted that the site will exceed 30kVA of aggregated embedded generation, the land-owners of the site or their representative should apply for a Multi-residential exemption as soon as possible
- Once the site has exceeded 30kVA, the technical exemption will be required before any further solar applications can be processed and you may need to quote the exemption identification number during your solar application
- An approved exemption will describe a maximum amount of solar that can be installed at a site, how this allowance is shared among residents of the site is the responsibility of the land owners or their representative – you will need to check with them before applying
- Within the exemption, individual homes can have up to 5kVA of generation but the land-owners or their representative may advise that a lower limit needs to apply
Multi residential land-owners
- Further technical information is available on the Multi-residential exemption application form
- This application requires the certification of a suitably qualified registered electrical engineer.
Find an engineer via the National Engineers Register or contact Engineers Australia for more information.
See also: Do I need permission from my strata company before applying for my connection?
Shopping centres, commercial tenancies, strata schemes and other grouped properties typically share a single connection point to our network that determines the total allocation of available electricity supply and generation capacity to be shared by all lots.
This connection point has a fixed capacity, so it's important for tenants, owners and prospective purchasers to be aware of the arrangements and obligations relating to the connection, as it may restrict their ability to install equipment such as home EV charging stations, rooftop solar panels and batteries.
Before applying to connect this type of equipment, tenants or owners with shared connections should first seek permission from their strata company or management body to use a portion of the total network capacity allocated.
Failing to do this may prevent others from connecting their equipment, or require the management body to upgrade the connection to our network to accommodate the needs of all owners and or tenants.
It's important to remember that the strata company or management body is ultimately responsible for the management of the common connection to the network and the common electrical system. Effective management of this shared resource will allow the benefits of renewable energy solutions to be shared by all.
More information about strata titling principles can be found in Landgate's Guide to strata titles.
Single line diagram
A single line diagram (SLD) needs to contain information on the installation wiring from the point of supply off the Western Power network, through to all the inverters on site, including where the customer’s load is connected.
It also needs to contain information on all protection devices and switches, as well as any communications required to achieve the desired operation of the system (i.e. self-consumption, export limit, etc.).
SLDs must use correct electrical symbols and should contain at least, but not limited to, the following information specific to the site in question:
- Point of supply off the Western Power network
- Western Power meter
- show site main switch is a circuit breaker rated to the sites supply allocation (or will be at time of installation)
- any private/customer smart meters
- distribution boards
- loads
- all inverters – new and existing
- energy source (PV array, batteries, etc.)
- any communications and controls/monitoring equipment*
- protective devices
- cable size and length between all the above
- description of the working/operational philosophy of the proposed system
* Where monitoring equipment is required for site generation limiting or self-consumption control, the following need to be indicated in the SLD:
- monitoring equipment such as Current Transformers (CT) or energy meters
- the phase/s that the equipment is monitoring
- any links between the monitoring device and the battery storage device (refer to sections 2.1 of the Battery Inverter Energy System (IES) Requirements for more details)
Electrical symbols - AS/NZS 3000:2018
| Switch (general symbol) | Transformer (single line) | ||
| Mechanically interlocked changeover switch | Switch disconnector (on-load isolating switch) | ||
| Disconnector (isolator) | Fuse | ||
| Alternator | Circuit breaker | ||
| Circuit breaker, earth leakage type, current operated (RCD) | PV array | ||
| Battery | Inverter | ||
| 3 pin socket outlet or cord extension socket |
Protective earth neutral (PEN) conductor
|
||
| 3 pin socket inlet or plug | Neutral conductor (N) | ||
| Protective earthing conductor (PE) | Connection to earth | ||
| Generation frame connection | Earth or neutral bar | ||
| Whole current (direct connecter)meter (non CT) |
|
LV current transformer meter (LV CT) | |
| HV current transformer metering unit (HV CT) |
Connection block | ||
| Combination fuse switch | LV links or HV/LV load disconnector | ||
| Drop out fuse (DOF) | Generator |
Site diagram
Identify on an aerial site diagram e.g. Landgate property search photo:
- supply type (overhead or underground)
- property/lot boundaries
- point of supply for the private installation:
- if underground, Western Power pillar/dome
- if overhead, mains connection box (typically next to point of attachment) or
- Western Power distribution substation e.g. transformer kiosk (strata and larger commercial)
- if overhead supply, the Western Power service cable run from the network to point of attachment
- transformer in rural or sole use cases
- Western Power meter
Examples of site diagrams
Date effective: 14 February 2022
The terms used in these conditions have the same meaning as in the Western Australian Service and Installation Requirements 2021.
1. Approval is void should the application details be subsequently found to be invalid.
2. The approved system must:
- not be connected after the expiry date recorded on the approval
- be connected via a Western Power approved import/export meter
- be installed as detailed in the approved application (including diagrams) and, if special operating
conditions are applied, to comply with the conditions before commissioning - have switches/breakers installed to legislative and network operator requirements
- be designed for a maximum voltage rise within the installation of less than 2% or 4.8 V as per
AS/NZS 4777.1:2016 - use CEC approved products with compliance to extra requirements of volt-watt, volt-var,
IEC 62116, VDRT (new equipment) - comply with Western Power’s Basic and LV EG Connection Technical Requirements
3. All electrical installation, commissioning and maintenance work wherever required must be carried
out by an electrical contractor licensed under the Electricity (Licensing) Regulations, 1991.
4. Western Power may inspect the installation from time to time to ensure continued compliance with
these requirements. If we consider that the installation poses a threat to safety, to quality of supply,
to the integrity of the distribution system or does not conform with Western Power technical
requirements we may disconnect the equipment.