Government Solar Incentives (rebates)

Getting solar is more affordable than you may think...

(As of June 2021)

1. Federal Government Rebates

The Federal Government scheme is known as the Small Scale Renewable Energy scheme.

For each kilowatt of panels you install, a certain number of small-scale technology certificates (or STCs) are generated. Because these STCs are bought by electricity retailers who need them to meet their renewable energy obligations, you receive money for each certificate.

You can expect to sell each STC for about $30. For a standard home eg. 5kW-6kW system, this equates to approximately $2200 - $2500 off the cost of the solar system. Most prices you’ll see will already have taken into account the STC discount, so unfortunately, you can’t claim an additional $2250 off the price.

But the good news is, this process is entirely managed by us (Island Energy) your solar installer, so there’s no need to worry about selling the STCs yourself.

It’s important to note that this scheme is currently being phased out until 2030, so the value of STCs is declining by 7% at the start of each calendar year (January 1st).

Get in now before these rebates run out!

Claim your -$2,500 rebate now for your home! The more panels you get, the greater the rebate!

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2. State Based Rebates

--VICTORIA

Victoria is the Australian state with the most solar incentive programs (as at Jan 2021). Thanks to this, homeowners can expect low upfront costs when going solar, or even zero initial cost.

Rebates you can claim through Solar Victoria's Solar Homes program

Solar panels (PV) = $1,400

Solar Battery = $4,174 (until gone)

Solar for Business = $3,500 (until gone)

Solar Interest Free Loan = $1,400 (until 2022)

To learn more you can visit their website directly here Solar Victoria's Solar Homes Program

--ACT

The ACT Government is currently providing a solar panel incentive for pensioners. Eligible households can claim a rebate of up to 50% off a solar power system. They can also claim an interest-free loan to pay back the remaining costs over a three year period with no deposit. For more information please see the ACT Government website.

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--NSW

The NSW Government has announced their Empowering Homes program  – a scheme which will provide interest-free loans for solar-battery systems to eligible NSW residents. Interest-free loans of up to $9000 for a storage battery or up to $14,000 for a solar PV and battery storage system will be available. Eligible households include owner-occupiers with an annual household income of up to $180,000. This scheme is currently running as pilot in the Hunter Region. For more information, please see the NSW Government website.

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--QLD

Applications for the Queensland Government’s interest free loans for solar and storage scheme have now closed. No other state rebates are currently offered in Queensland.

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3. Other Resources

https://www.energy.vic.gov.au/renewable-energy/victorian-feed-in-tariff