How Rebates works

3 simple steps to make sustainable and comfortable homes more affordable for everyday Australians.

Why does the government offer rebates for Solar?

The Australian federal government has been offering great monetary incentives to commercial and residential solar system buyers. The government of Australia wants to reach the goal of green energy by 2050. To encourage the citizens to get solar panels, the government gives incentives in the form of STC – Small-scale Technology Certificates.

Will the rebates go down with time?

This program started in 2017, and the incentives will decrease by 1/15th every year,until the year 2030, when the program will end. That means the earlier you go solar, in general the more rebate you’ll receive.

Federal solar incentive is given in the form of STC

STC or Small-Scale Technology Certificates are given to the property owners through the Small-Scale Renewable Energy Scheme. Through STC, you get a certain amount of money towards the installation of your solar system. Your zone, the size of your solar system and how long it is expected to last; all determine how much rebate you’ll get. Generally, bigger solar systems also get bigger rebates. Most of SA is in zone 3. To get an idea of how much rebate you get, let’s calculate them for a certificate value of $37 each. A standard 6.6 kW system will be eligible for 82 STC.

So your savings will be 82 X $37 = $3034 for the entire system. Considering that the typical cost of a 6.6 kW system is about 5,000 to 9,000 you will be saving ~50% to 34%. This price is an example, the price of each certificate can fluctuate depending on the demand for those certificates. Prices of solar systems also fluctuate depending on various market factors.

SA Government rebates

The SA government is a great supporter of renewable energy. To encourage people to convert to green energy, the government offers generous financial support. Home battery scheme of the SA government – if you are connected to the grid and want to go solar, the SA government offers a subsidy on battery, calculated by the kWh capacity of the battery you purchase.

When millions of people have solar panels with batteries, the entire system acts as a distributed power plant and storage. This helps lower the peak demand, and mitigate the fluctuations. This is why the SA government offers subsidies on batteries. Low interest solar loans in SA are provided by Clean Energy Finance Corporation, helping solar buyers get a solar battery or a solar system.

What help is available for the low income families who want to go solar in SA?

Energy concession card holders can get $250 per kWh of their new battery. All other solar battery buyers get $150 per kWh of battery. This rebate can be as high as $2000. Low interest solar loans in SA are provided by Clean Energy Finance Corporation, helping solar buyers get a solar battery or a solar system.