Interest has been strengthening in Solar Victoria’s Residential Electrification Grants program with 40 expressions of interest received for the initiative from the industry.

The expressions received by Solar Victoria demonstrate the major interest and momentum toward electrification projects that Victorian organisations are willing to invest in to meet household demand for solar and efficient hot water systems.

“This Residential Electrification Grants Program will make it easier than ever for Victorians to install solar and energy-efficient hot water, as part of an innovative electrification project, while accelerating the household transition to all-electric homes on a scale not yet seen in Australia,” Solar Victoria chief executive officer Stan Krpan says.

“The Residential Electrification Grants program builds on Solar Victoria’s successful Solar Homes Program which has helped more than 300,000 Victorian households transition to clean, cheap, renewable energy since 2018.”

An Australian first, the Residential Electrification Grants program is a $10 million program that will empower organisations to enable bulk installations of solar and energy-efficient hot water systems in a minimum of 50 homes each across Victoria.

The program has called for innovative projects such as the development of all-electric and energy-efficient homes and precincts and the coordination of home renewable technologies or projects that enhance resilience during weather events and alleviate pressure on the electricity grid. Selection criteria also encouraged the use of local sourcing.

Successful applicants will leverage funding provided by Solar Victoria, along with their co-funding, to embark on residential electrification projects.

Submissions are currently being assessed and successful applicants are expected to be announced in the coming months.