They call the state of Queensland ‘The Sunshine State’ – and for good reason. There is an average of 7:38 hours of sunlight a day (compared to 6:38 in New South Wales and 5:41 in Victoria) and a total of 2792 hours of sunlight per year (not to be confused with the white light required for optimum solar production).
So with the sun shining so much of the time, it should come as little surprise that Queensland has adopted solar energy enthusiastically with over a third of all homes already boasting panels on their roof. That number is expected to rise sharply in the coming years as well and some Brisbane suburbs have a solar penetration rate of over 50 per cent already.
While the availability of free energy from the sun is one major incentive towards adopting solar, Queenslanders also have access to rebates which make the process of transitioning more desirable and affordable.
There are two key rebates in Queensland: the State Government’s Solar Feed-in Tariff and Small-scale Technology Certificates. We explore both of these rebates and what they mean for Queenslanders (especially those considering adopting solar for the first time).
Queensland Government Solar Feed-in Tariffs
When you have a solar system and you are producing excess power, this is exported back to the electricity grids for use across the network. You are rewarded for providing that electricity through feed-in tariffs from energy retails which vary depending on the provider.
There is no legislated market rate but the retailers are in competition so the tariff rates do sit around market value. This is called the market feed-in tariff and it is taken off your electricity bill by your retailer.
In the regional and rural areas, there is the regional feed-in tariff which is a flat rate paid by retailers Origin Energy and Ergon Energy Retail. There are a number of conditions that you have to meet to qualify for the regional feed-in tariff which can be found here.
Previously, the Queensland Government provided the Solar Bonus Scheme $0.44 feed-in tariff but this scheme has since ended. No new customers can take advantage of this, but existing customers that maintain their eligibility will continue to enjoy this rate until July 1 2028.
Small-scale Technology Certificates in Queensland
These are tradable certificates that assign the rights to an asset or product and can be purchased, sold or traded. These small-scale technology certificates are also available for solar energy and are issued by the Federal Government as a form of a rebate. This is a way that you can receive rebates for solar energy technologies to be installed on your home so that you can save money – an incentive to get more people to invest in solar technologies.
The value of these certificates vary and the amount of certificates you receive for installing solar systems (including solar hot water systems) also varies depending on which part of Queensland you are living in. But the Clean Energy Regulator has put together a calculator to help you determine how much you would receive in rebates in your area if you were to install solar technology.
For further information on how to get a rebate-friendly solar power system, contact Energy Matters for three free quotes.