Solar & Battery Rebates in QLD & NSW (2026)

Solar & Battery Rebates in QLD & NSW (2026)

An honest, plain-English guide to the incentives available in 2026, what they are, how they work, and how to tell what you're eligible for.

Home › Solar & Battery Rebates 1. The federal solar incentive (STCs)

The federal Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme lowers the upfront cost of solar through small-scale technology certificates (STCs). Your system earns a number of certificates based on its size, your location and the years left until the scheme ends in 2030.

Based on a certificate value of $36, here's roughly what different system sizes earn in 2026:

6.6kW, around 45 certificates, an incentive of about $1,620 10kW, around 68 certificates, about $2,450 13.3kW (the largest standard single-phase system), around 91 certificates, about $3,275 It's almost always applied as an upfront point-of-sale discount, you don't claim anything back yourself. The certificate count steps down every January until the scheme ends in 2030, and certificate prices float with the market.

Figures are estimates based on a $36 certificate value and typical QLD/NSW zoning, the market price varies. Eligibility criteria apply, including using Clean Energy Council approved products and accredited installers.

Businesses can access the same scheme. Systems up to 100kW of inverter capacity are eligible for STCs, and because panel arrays can be oversized above the inverter rating by up to about 33%, that allows for roughly 133kW of panels. The incentive is applied as an upfront discount in the same way:

30kW, around 205 certificates, an incentive of about $7,400 100kW, around 680 certificates, about $24,500

Above that threshold, systems fall under a different mechanism, large-scale generation certificates (LGCs), which work as ongoing credits rather than an upfront discount. Commercial figures are estimates only; we'll model your specific system as part of your quote. Read our commercial solar guide or visit the commercial solar page.