Owning or managing a block of units, apartments or townhouses in the Northern Territory comes with a genuinely different energy cost problem than owning a single home. Shared roof space, shared common power costs, and a body corporate or strata structure that has to agree on any capital works all make solar harder to install than for a standalone house, even though the potential savings are often larger. The Solar for Multi Dwellings Grant Scheme, funded through the Australian Government’s Community Solar Banks Program and delivered by the Northern Territory Government’s Department of Mining and Energy, is built specifically for this situation. It offers up to $7,500 per dwelling, covering up to 50 percent of installation costs, for shared solar and battery systems installed by strata and body corporate managed properties.
This guide explains what the scheme covers, who can apply, and what a strata or body corporate manager needs to prepare before applying.
What Is the Solar for Multi Dwellings Grant Scheme?
This is a Northern Territory Government grant program aimed squarely at multi dwelling properties, such as unit blocks and apartment complexes, that are managed under a strata or body corporate structure. Rather than funding solar for a single household, it is designed around the practical reality that a block of units usually needs one coordinated system covering shared infrastructure, agreed to and paid for collectively through the body corporate, rather than each resident installing their own separate system.
The scheme sits within the broader Community Solar Banks Program, an Australian Government initiative, and is administered locally by the NT Department of Mining and Energy.
How Much Funding Is Available
The grant covers up to $7,500 per dwelling, and up to 50 percent of total installation costs, whichever applies. To put this in concrete terms using the scheme’s own example: a property with 10 dwellings could receive up to $75,000 in total, provided that amount represents no more than 50 percent of a total project cost of at least $150,000. In other words, the grant is designed to meet the body corporate roughly halfway on the cost of installation, up to the per dwelling cap, with the property itself funding the remainder.
Because the grant scales with the number of dwellings in the property, larger multi dwelling complexes stand to access a correspondingly larger total grant amount, though the per dwelling and percentage caps still apply.
What the Funding Can Be Used For
The scheme is designed to fund shared clean energy infrastructure for multi dwelling properties. Eligible costs include:
Shared solar PV (photovoltaic) systems installed to serve the property’s dwellings collectively.
Solar sharing technology, which allows the electricity generated by a shared system to be fairly distributed or credited across individual dwellings within the property.
Smart meters, which support the accurate measurement and allocation of shared solar generation and consumption.
Battery storage systems, which allow solar energy generated during the day to be stored and used later, improving the value of the shared solar investment.
Who Qualifies
Eligible applicants are management corporations responsible for a multi dwelling property, specifically those structured under the Unit Titles Act 1975, the Unit Title Schemes Act 2009, or an equivalent shared property management entity. In practical terms, this means the scheme is built for body corporate and strata title managed properties, whether they are managed by a professional strata management company or run by an owners’ committee, rather than for individual homeowners or renters applying on their own.
Who Does NOT Qualify
The scheme’s official guidelines exclude several categories of applicant. Government agencies and government owned bodies cannot apply, nor can government owned or controlled statutory corporations. Local government entities are also excluded, as are public and private educational institutions. Entities managing buildings that sit on Northern Territory Government owned land are excluded as well.
If a property does not have a genuine strata or body corporate management structure under the relevant NT legislation, or falls into one of the excluded categories above, it will not be eligible for this specific scheme, and a strata manager or committee should check whether a different Northern Territory or Commonwealth energy program is a better fit instead.
Current Status and Timing
The Northern Territory Government’s official program page does not currently publish a specific application closing date or an explicit statement of whether the scheme’s current funding round remains open. Strata managers and body corporate committees interested in applying should treat this as a program worth checking directly before committing significant planning time, since government clean energy schemes of this kind are periodically refreshed or reallocated as program funding pools are drawn down.
What You’ll Need to Prepare
Applications are submitted through the GrantsNT online portal, the Northern Territory Government’s grants management system. If your body corporate or strata management entity has not used GrantsNT before, you will need to set up an Organisation Profile account as a first step, so it is worth allowing time for this before you intend to lodge an application.
Once your application is submitted, it goes through an assessment process before an outcome is notified. If your application is conditionally approved, you then have 90 days to finalise and submit any additional required documentation, so it pays to have your paperwork largely ready in advance rather than starting it only after conditional approval.
You will need quotes from your nominated solar or electrical service provider covering the proposed shared system, along with any other materials specified in the scheme’s terms and conditions. Once the grant agreement is signed and the work is complete, you will need to submit an invoice along with certified confirmation that the installation work has been completed, before funding is disbursed according to the program’s terms and conditions.
Because this is a shared property decision, it is also worth budgeting time for the body corporate’s own internal approval process, since a capital works decision of this kind will typically need to go through your scheme’s normal owners’ or committee approval process before an application can be lodged with confidence.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
A few avoidable mistakes come up with grant applications of this kind, and they are worth planning around.
Applying before your body corporate has internally approved the project is a common trap. Because this is a shared capital decision, not an individual purchase, it is worth securing in principle owner or committee agreement before investing time in a full GrantsNT application.
Underestimating the total project cost relative to the grant cap is another. Since the grant covers up to 50 percent of costs and up to $7,500 per dwelling, whichever is lower, it is worth getting a realistic quote from your service provider early so you understand what portion of the project your body corporate will need to fund itself.
Leaving the Organisation Profile setup until the last minute can also cost valuable time, particularly if this is your management entity’s first time using GrantsNT.
Treating the 90 day post conditional approval window casually is a mistake as well. Because additional documentation must be finalised and submitted within that window, it is worth having your paperwork largely prepared in advance so the window does not become a source of pressure.
Finally, assuming the scheme is open indefinitely without checking is worth avoiding, since the official page does not confirm a current open status or closing date, and government energy grant programs of this kind can change over time as funding pools are drawn down.
Related Funding Options
If your property or business does not fit the strata or body corporate structure this scheme requires, or you are looking for broader clean energy funding, it is worth comparing options via Grants Assist’s coverage of funding for green energy projects and renewable energy grants, which cover a wider range of clean energy funding relevant to Australian businesses and organisations, not only Northern Territory strata properties.
If you are unsure whether this scheme or a different program is the right starting point, Grants Assist’s eligibility assessment tool can help you think through your options before you commit time to a formal application.
Applying for the Solar for Multi Dwellings Grant Scheme
Applications are lodged online through the GrantsNT portal. After setting up an Organisation Profile if needed, your body corporate or strata management entity completes the application with supporting quotes and documentation, submits it for assessment, and if conditionally approved, has 90 days to finalise any remaining paperwork before signing a grant agreement. Funding is paid out after the installation is complete and certified, based on the invoice and completion documentation submitted.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can an individual apartment owner apply for this grant on their own?
No. The scheme is designed for the management corporation responsible for the whole property, structured under the Unit Titles Act 1975, the Unit Title Schemes Act 2009, or an equivalent shared property management entity, not for individual unit owners applying separately.
How much can our property receive?
Up to $7,500 per dwelling, and up to 50 percent of total installation costs, whichever is lower. A 10 dwelling property, for example, could receive up to $75,000 toward a total project cost of at least $150,000.
What can the grant be spent on?
Shared solar PV systems, solar sharing technology that distributes generation fairly across dwellings, smart meters, and battery storage systems.
Is a body corporate or strata management company on NT Government owned land eligible?
No. Entities managing buildings on Northern Territory Government owned land are specifically excluded, along with government agencies, statutory corporations, local government entities, and public and private educational institutions.
How do we apply?
Through the GrantsNT online portal, setting up an Organisation Profile first if your entity has not used the portal before, then submitting your application with supporting quotes and documentation.
What happens after our application is approved?
If conditionally approved, you have 90 days to finalise and submit any additional required documentation, then sign a grant agreement. Funding is paid out after the work is complete, based on your invoice and certified completion documentation.
Want to Keep Exploring Your Options?
Grants Assist’s online portal gives you access to detailed, regularly updated information on grants and assistance programs across Australia. Explore the Grants Assist portal to browse more programs like this one, or call us on 1300-005-999 to speak with one of our advisors.
