Local solar-sharers crowned at Aussie design awards
An Australian solar-sharing invention, developed by Melbourne-based Allume Energy, has been awarded the Australian Good Design Award of the Year at the 2026 Australian Good Design Awards. The system allows apartment residents to split and share energy caught by rooftop solar based on individual need. Chair of Good Design Australia, Brandon Gien, praised the invention as a stand-out example of design excellence, noting it solved a previously unsolved problem through intuitive design.
The Solshare system is connected to over 10,000 apartments, resulting in energy bill savings of around 30 to 40 percent. Gien emphasized the importance of supporting Australia's world-class talent to further unlock innovation. Other notable winners included Greenshoot Consulting for a bee-friendly beehive, Frost*collective for communication design at Sydney Children's Hospital, ThirdStory for research on domestic violence support services, and the Vanuatu National Warning System for its social impact.
Internationally, Taiwanese designer Liu Chia-Yi won for AI-powered soil contamination treatment, and environmentally-conscious designs such as an artificial seawall and modular habitat were also recognized.
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