I live in a 27 unit condo building in San Francisco, built in 2014. I have a top floor unit, which means I have my own roof deck and private rooftop area where it would be easy to place solar.
Is powering my unit with solar a possibility, assuming the HOA allows it? Assuming metering is in the basement of our building, would this cause a problem?
You must be the owner of the building or get the owner’s approval.
Hello,
You would need to get permission from the condo association to add solar to your roof.
Yes. There was an obscure IRS ruling that allows condo owners to still get the 30% federal tax credit even if they don’t actually own the roof. If the condo association will let you run conduit down the side of the condo complex to the basement, you should be golden. Also, you will want to get preapproval from the utility before starting your project as they typically have various requirements as well. I suggest microinverters, which install under the panels themselves and immediately convert the electricity from DC current to safer AC current and eliminate the need for installing a line inverter in the basement or elsewhere.
You may want to see if you can get support to have your whole condo building powered by solar. As it is a Condo the exterior is controlled by the association and requires the association approval to make any changes.
You must be the owner of the property in order to make changes to existing dwellings. I recommend speaking to the owner of the property and see if you can convince them to consider the PV project.
Nicolas
AllPhase Solar
Approved improvements for condos are usually inside, and for anything outside, check your condo agreement or contact your HOA.
You would have to check with the Association first before proceeding, while a traditional fixed system might not be possible you could explore the possibility of a portable set of panels with a generator for scenarios where the power is out.
I think that is fantastic that you are looking to do solar for your condo. This scenario is definitely going to be dependent on your utility company PG&E. They have a lot of useful information right here:
https://www.pge.com/en_US/residential/solar-and-vehicles/options/solar/solar.page?WT.pgeac=Solar-from-Interconnection
Good Luck!
Having worked with HOA’s on common area solar, I can tell you that there are many factors involved. For example, although you have a private roof area, the roof is likely the responsibility of the HOA. This can be complicated to navigate in terms of approvals, if it is even possible with the CC&Rs. Will the roof be penetrated to hold down the solar array? That will certainly be difficult to approve on a roof the HOA is responsible for. There are alternative solutions to penetrating the roof, but usually involve adding weight to the array frame in order to meet wind load calculations.
Bottom line is that you need to be prepared to meet many challenges, and probably pushback from the HOA. With that said, your best first step would be to contact the management company and speak with the manager for your community. They will be able to give you a sense of if and how.
Good luck
Yes you can if you are the owner, and if you don’t need permission from your association.
