Solar Rebate Victoria
Most Victorian households qualify for a federal solar rebate through the STC scheme, and it comes off your installed price rather than arriving as a cheque later. Because the value shifts with system size, location and the STC market price, two homes on the same street can end up with different rebate amounts. This page explains how the number is worked out.
Enter your postcode and system size to see how many certificates you create and what they are worth.
Open the rebate calculatorHow the solar rebate actually works
Australia doesn't hand out a cash rebate for solar. Instead, the federal Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme creates tradeable certificates for every eligible system installed, and those certificates have a market value.
What an STC is
A Small-scale Technology Certificate, or STC, represents one megawatt hour of renewable electricity your system is expected to generate before the scheme ends. Your system creates a set number of them the day it is installed, based on its size and where it sits.
How the value reaches you
Rather than claiming certificates yourself, you assign them to your installer, who then sells them on the STC market. The value gets deducted from your quoted price before you pay anything. So while the paperwork happens behind the scenes, the discount is real and immediate.
A CEC-accredited installer fits approved panels and inverter.
Certificate count is set by system size, zone and years remaining.
You sign them over, and we handle the registration.
Value comes off your invoice, so you never pay it upfront.
Why Melbourne gets a smaller rebate than Brisbane
Australia is divided into four STC zones based on how much sunlight each region receives. A system in a sunnier zone is expected to generate more over its life, so it earns more certificates for the same size.
Victoria sits in Zone 4, which is why an identical system attracts a slightly smaller rebate here than the same system in Queensland. Use the solar rebate calculator to see the figure for your postcode.
What changes your rebate amount
Certificates scale directly with capacity, so a 10 kW system earns roughly 50% more than a 6.6 kW.
Zone rating is set by location. Regional Victoria and Melbourne both fall in Zone 4.
Certificates are based on years remaining until the scheme ends, so the count drops each January.
Certificates trade on an open market, and that price moves week to week like any traded commodity.
Only panels and approved inverters on the product list qualify. Budget imports often don't.
The install must be completed by a CEC-accredited installer, otherwise no certificates are created at all.
Because certificates are calculated on the years left until the scheme closes in 2030, the same system installed twelve months later earns fewer of them. Waiting for prices to drop tends to cancel itself out, since the rebate falls alongside them. Your entitlement is set by the installation date, not the date you place the order.
Battery rebates
STCs apply to the solar component of a system rather than storage. Solar battery incentives run separately, through state-level programs with their own eligibility rules, funding caps and closing dates.
Why we check before quoting
These programs open, pause and close through the year as funding is allocated, and eligibility often depends on your property type, income or whether you already have solar. Instead of quoting a headline figure, we confirm what applies to your address first, so the price you receive reflects what you can genuinely claim.
Installing both at once usually works out cheaper than doing them separately, since the inverter only needs to be sized and fitted once.
Compare solar battery storageHow we handle the paperwork
Nothing about the STC process needs to land on you. Your quote already shows the rebate deducted, and the certificate registration happens after installation without any action on your part. If a state battery program applies, that application gets lodged for you as well.
Frequently asked questions
Eligibility, timing, zones and battery incentives.
How much is the solar rebate in Victoria?
The amount depends on your system size, your STC zone and the certificate market price on the day of installation. Victoria sits in Zone 4, the lowest of the four ratings, so an identical system earns fewer certificates here than in Queensland. Use our solar rebate calculator to see the figure for your postcode and system size.
Do I pay the rebate upfront and claim it back?
No. You assign the certificates to us, and the value is deducted from your quoted price before payment. The figure on your invoice already has the rebate taken off, so there is nothing to claim afterwards.
Am I eligible for the solar rebate?
Most Victorian homeowners are. The system needs to use approved panels and an approved inverter, and the installation must be completed by a CEC-accredited installer. Systems above 100 kW fall outside the small-scale scheme and follow a different pathway.
Is it worth waiting for a bigger rebate?
Generally not. Certificates are calculated on the years remaining until the scheme ends in 2030, so the count drops every January. A system installed next year earns fewer certificates than the same system today, which tends to offset any fall in equipment prices.
Can I get a rebate on a solar battery?
Battery incentives are separate from STCs and run through state-level programs. These open and close as funding is allocated, and eligibility varies by property and circumstance. We check what currently applies to your address before preparing your quote — see solar battery installation for what we fit.
Send us your address and system size, and you'll get a fixed price with the rebate already applied.
Get a free quote
Frequently asked questions
Eligibility, timing, zones and battery incentives.
Frequently asked questions
Eligibility, timing, zones and battery incentives.
How much is the solar rebate in Victoria?
The amount depends on your system size, your STC zone and the certificate market price on the day of installation. Victoria sits in Zone 4, the lowest of the four ratings, so an identical system earns fewer certificates here than in Queensland. Because the market price moves, we quote the rebate based on current values rather than a fixed figure.
Do I pay the rebate upfront and claim it back?
No. You assign the certificates to us, and the value is deducted from your quoted price before payment. The figure on your invoice already has the rebate taken off, so there is nothing to claim afterwards.
Am I eligible for the solar rebate?
Most Victorian homeowners are. The system needs to use approved panels and an approved inverter, and the installation must be completed by a CEC-accredited installer. Systems above 100 kW fall outside the small-scale scheme and follow a different pathway.
Is it worth waiting for a bigger rebate?
Generally not. Certificates are calculated on the years remaining until the scheme ends in 2030, so the count drops every January. A system installed next year earns fewer certificates than the same system today, which tends to offset any fall in equipment prices.
Can I get a rebate on a solar battery?
Battery incentives are separate from STCs and run through state-level programs. These open and close as funding is allocated, and eligibility varies by property and circumstance. We check what currently applies to your address before preparing your quote.