A Guide to Queensland Solar & Battery Rebates

The short version

• Federal STC rebate on new solar PV — worth roughly $2,500–$3,500 off a 6.6 kW system in FNQ (we're in the highest-yield STC zone).
• Cheaper Home Batteries Program — up-front discount on eligible batteries from 5 kWh to 50 kWh installed from 1 July 2025.
• Interest-free finance via QLD-approved Green Loans (Plenti, Brighte, Parker Lane) — common pairing with solar + battery installs.
• You don't apply yourself. Your accredited installer applies the discount at the point of sale.

1. Federal Small-scale Technology Certificate (STC) rebate

The STC scheme is the main "solar rebate" most Queenslanders are talking about. It's a federal program that issues tradeable certificates based on how much electricity your system is expected to generate over its lifetime — and Far North Queensland gets the most certificates per kW installed because Zone 2 has the country's strongest sun.

Who's eligible

• Homeowner or small business in QLD
• System ≤ 100 kW
• Installed by a CEC/SAA-accredited installer (Shorecan SAA S0111813)
• Panels and inverter on the Clean Energy Council approved product list
• One STC claim per address since 2011

What it's worth

For a typical 6.6 kW residential install in Cairns/Atherton in 2026, the STC discount is around $2,500–$3,500 off the up-front quoted price. For a 13 kW system, expect around $5,000–$7,000. The exact figure floats with the STC spot price.

2. Cheaper Home Batteries Program (federal, started 1 July 2025)

This is the program that replaced the older state-based battery booster pilot. It's the main battery rebate Queensland households can use right now.

Who's eligible

• Australian household, small business, or community facility
• Battery usable capacity between 5 kWh and 50 kWh (systems up to 100 kWh nominal still qualify, capped at 50 kWh of rebate)
• Battery and installer on the CEC approved lists
• Installed from 1 July 2025
• Paired with a new or existing solar PV system

What it's worth

The discount is delivered through your installer as STCs at install time — currently around $330 per usable kWh, scaling down each year. On a 10 kWh Pytes LV1 residential pack that's roughly $3,000–$3,300 off; on a 40 kWh Dyness Stack 100 commercial bank it's around $12,000+.

3. QLD interest-free Green Loans

Queensland doesn't currently run a state-funded solar rebate, but it does support several approved green-finance providers (Plenti, Brighte, Parker Lane) offering interest-free or low-rate loans on solar + battery systems. These pair well with the federal STC and battery rebates — the rebates reduce the financed amount, and the loan covers the rest at 0% over 3–7 years.

4. Feed-in tariffs in FNQ

Ergon (the regional QLD network) currently pays a regional feed-in tariff for excess solar exported to the grid — around 8c/kWh as of 2026. For most FNQ households the bigger lever is self-consumption and battery storage, not export, because retail electricity costs roughly four times what export pays.

How to actually claim the rebates

1. Get a quote from a CEC/SAA-accredited installer (that's us — Lic. 124167, SAA S0111813).
2. Confirm the quoted price is after the STC and battery rebate has been applied — every legitimate FNQ installer will itemise this.
3. Sign off on the system design and finance (if applicable).
4. We install, commission, and lodge the STC paperwork with the Clean Energy Regulator.
5. You start saving — typical FNQ payback on solar + battery is now 4–6 years.