Construction under way on Australia's largest community-owned solar farm

The first sod on the future SolarShare farm in Majura was turned on Friday afternoon.

Once finished, the farm, opposite Mount Majura vineyard, will be co-owned by more than 400 people and will provide power to about 250 homes in the territory.

Canberrans have invested more than $2.4 million into the new solar farm.

Members pay to own a share in the project, the minimum investment is $500 and investors are paid an annual dividend.

The Majura farm is the brainchild of renewable investment energy fund SolarShare. It is the company's first project.

"We are immensely proud of reaching this milestone. Our climate is changing, as is our community, and we all have an important role to play in creating sustainable energy," SolarShare chairman Nick Fejer said.

"SolarShare is for anyone who wants to be part of the shift to a renewable energy economy. This includes people who previously had no access to the solar power market such as renters or those without a roof suitable for solar panels."

Volunteers had worked on the project for eight years, Mr Fejer said. SolarShare was formed by members of the not-for-profit organisation SEE-Change.

"The concept has been for us to have community participation and really be a connection for the people to the energy supply, and that's connection both as a group of people and a connection in an electrical sense," Mr Fejer said.

Along with the community members, SolarShare received a loan of $800,000 from renewable energy developer CWP Renewables.

The SolarShare farm will also receive subsidies known as a feed-in tariffs from the ACT government over a 20-year period.

The project was part of the 2012-16 Labor-Greens parliamentary agreement to advance community-owned solar.

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ACT Climate Change Minister Shane Rattenbury was there to help with the sod turn.

"Putting solar power in the control of our community allows more Canberrans than ever to reap the rewards of solar energy," Mr Rattenbury said.

"Renters and people who live in apartments have had difficulties in the past seeing the benefits of solar power in the same way home owners have.

"Our new community-owned solar farm is a great way for them to feel the same support.

"With a lower minimum spend overall, community initiatives like this are a terrific alternative for people when the upfront cost of rooftop solar is too high."

Earlier this year, SolarShare announced it had signed a contract with Epho Commercial Solar to build the project.

'We needed a partner who understood the complexity of the project and would work with us through the challenges of a community solar farm," SolarShare founder and principal executive officer Lawrence McIntosh said.

"Epho had been supporting our efforts for a couple of years, so the Epho team was the most compelling choice of solar company in terms of costs, results and risks for the execution phase of our solar farm."

The solar farm is set to be completed early 2021.