Solar Citizens welcomes the NSW Government announcement that the Sydney International Convention Centre will become the largest ‘solar farm’ in any Central Business District in the Southern Hemisphere.
Solar Citizens CEO Heidi Lee Douglas said:
“Maximising solar installations on large commercial and public roofs is absolutely the direction all public and private enterprises should embrace.
“Solar Citizens applauds the initiative that will install 4,500 solar panels on the roof of the International Convention Centre (ICC) at Darling Harbour, generating 2.6 gigawatt hours (GWh) and saving up to 2,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year.” [1]
“We encourage all commercial and public enterprises to make use of the expanded rebate covering solar installations up to 1 Megawatt under the Federal Government’s Small-Scale Renewable Energy Scheme - available from 1 October this year. [2]
“We look forward to the Minns Government taking the next step to the ICC truly becoming an urban ‘solar farm’ and creating a pathway to share the excess solar power they generate during the day with neighbouring apartments and renters - effectively creating an ‘Urban Renewable Energy Zone’.*
“More than 30 percent of households are unable to reduce their energy bills through rooftop solar because they rent or are apartment residents.
“Nearly half of the country’s high rise apartment residents are in greater Sydney, 45% according to the last Census [3], but only 3% of Sydney apartments have access to rooftop solar. [4]
“The Committee for Sydney research shows that declaring a renewable energy zone in Sydney could help deliver up to 75% of the power Sydney needs, through rooftop solar paired with battery storage.” [5]
“We call on all governments to realise the potential of solar on large commercial, industrial and public roofs to supply cheaper, cleaner energy to renters and apartment residents who don’t have control of their own roofs and are currently locked out of rooftop solar.
Solar Citizens recommends that the Federal Government commit funding to model and pilot Urban Renewable Energy Zone (UREZ) models that provide a scalable, consumer-centric, system-wide solutions to unlock solar on large commercial, industrial and public rooftops to share with renters and apartment residents.
Nexa Advisory calculates that the rooftop solar potential of Australia’s commercial and industrial (C&I) rooftops is estimated at 28 GW, and the majority of this is currently untapped.. Establishing Urban Renewable Energy Zones would help to unlock this capacity and share the benefits with consumers - a win for the grid, and a win for residential and commercial consumers. [6]
They suggest a goal of rooftop solar on 40% of all C&I buildings nationally by 2030, resulting in 11.2 GW installed capacity and 7.2 MT CO₂ avoided annually. With the aim of 100% of C&I buildings by 2050, contributing 28 GW capacity and 18 MT CO₂ avoided annually.
NOTES
* A UREZ is defined as a designated urban area that supports high levels of small and medium-scale renewable energy. UREZs focus on coordinating generation, storage and demand within existing suburbs and town centres, rather than relying on large, remote renewable energy infrastructure that deliver electricity to towns and cities via transmission lines. For example a UREZ would enable the installation of upscaled rooftop solar and batteries on large commercial, industrial and public buildings, and enable their excess energy production to be shared locally to nearby homes and apartments through the distribution network. This is especially beneficial for high-rise buildings, which may only be able to meet 5% of their energy needs through rooftop solar, due to a lack of roof space
[1] Largest CBD Solar Farm in Southern Hemisphere coming to ICC Sydney, Media Release, Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, 7 September, 2026
Photo courtesy of the Ministry
[2] Expansion of Solar Photovoltaic (PV) eligibility under the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme, Clean Energy Regulator, 5 August 2026
[3] Australia's census asked about high-rise living for the first time — this is what it revealed, ABC newsonline, 29 June, 2022
[4] Solar in Strata, Sydney, Wattblock
[5] Sydney as a Renewable Energy Zone, Committee for Sydney, June 2025
[6] Untapped Potential of Commercial & Industrial Energy Resources in the NEM (2025) Nexa Advisory