Built on data, not deals. We don't sell solar — we track the plans and the policy so Australian businesses and households can see the numbers straight.
Australia's small-scale solar incentive has, for years, stopped at systems of 100 kilowatts. Anything bigger dropped into the large-scale scheme, with a slower, more complex certificate process — enough friction that a lot of medium-sized businesses simply never bothered. This change lifts the ceiling tenfold.
| Before | From 1 Oct 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Max system under SRES | 100 kW | 1 MW |
| Upfront support | STCs to 100 kW | STCs to 1 MW (~20% off install) |
| Who it suited | Homes, small shopfronts | + Factories, warehouses, farms, medium commercial, apartments |
| Process for mid-size systems | Large-scale scheme (slow) | Simpler small-scale certificates |
These are the government's own worked examples. The upfront discount is delivered as STCs, so the exact dollar figure moves with the certificate price on the day — treat them as government estimates, not a quote.
| System size | Indicative upfront discount | Indicative annual bill saving |
|---|---|---|
| 250 kW (mid-size warehouse / farm) | ~$68,000–$70,000 | ~$50,000 / yr |
| 850 kW (large industrial roof) | ~$232,000 | ~$175,000 / yr |
The policy is squarely aimed at what the government calls the "missing middle": the medium-sized rooftops that are too big for the old 100 kW cap but too small to justify a utility-scale project. In practice that means:
Context for the scale of the opportunity: industry estimates put untapped commercial rooftop potential at 80+ GW, against only about 5.6 GW installed today — versus 22+ GW already on Australian homes. Commercial roofs are where the runway is.
See whether the new 1 MW rebate stacks up for your site, and join the list to be matched with vetted commercial installers.
Check commercial solar for my businessThe change is slated to take effect 1 October 2026. That gives a genuine planning window rather than a scramble. A few practical notes:
The headline "20% off" is real, but the number that decides your payback is the one nobody puts on a poster: how much of your generation you actually use on-site versus export. A warehouse that runs machinery through daylight hours is the ideal case — most of the solar offsets power you'd otherwise buy at retail rates. A site that's busy after dark exports more, and export is where value has been thinning as feed-in tariffs fall.
So the rebate genuinely helps the "missing middle" — but the businesses that win most are the ones that match their load to the sun, size the system to self-consumption rather than roof space, and treat the retail electricity contract as part of the decision, not an afterthought. The incentive lowers the entry price; the plan and the load profile decide the return.
Getting solar at home instead?
The panels are only half of it. The retail plan and feed-in tariff you're on can swing your payback by hundreds a year.
EnergyPlans is an Australian energy comparison platform. We don't sell solar panels; we help you get the retail side right and publish policy explainers when the rules change.
Sources: Minister Bowen, National Press Club address (Aug 2026); syndicated coverage. Rebate dollar figures are government estimates and depend on system design, location and STC prices. Confirm against energy.gov.au before committing.
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