Solar PV for Multi-family?

[designer82]

Does anyone install solar PV for multi-family buildings?

I can understand supplying the solar feed to the house panel but it wouldn't serve the tenants right? So maybe only if you have a very large house load?


Thanks

 

[jaggedben]

Depends on state regulation. For example California had a program called Virtual Net Metering that allowed a PV system on its own meter to provide credits to multiple tenants. But the latest version of it is poison pilled such that it isn't worth doing.

Many urban apartment buildings don't have enough roof space to provide for all the tenants, so just doing the house meter does make sense. For smaller multifamily buildings (2-3 units) it may make sense to have a separate system for each unit.