What you can actually claim for solar panels and a home battery in Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia, explained in plain English.
Check What I Can Claim Last updated 30 September 2026
The same battery can attract very different support depending on where you live.
| Queensland | New South Wales | Western Australia | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solar panel rebate (STCs) | Yes, federal only | Yes, federal only | Yes, federal only |
| Federal battery discount | Yes, around 30% off | Yes, around 30% off | Yes, around 30% off |
| State battery rebate | None. Battery Booster closed May 2024 | None for installation. The NSW install discount ended 30 June 2025 | Up to $1,300 (Synergy) or $3,800 (Horizon Power) |
| VPP incentive | No state incentive | Yes, one-off payment that grows with battery size | VPP membership is required for the state rebate |
| No-interest loan | No | No | Yes, through the WA scheme |
| Example: 10 kWh battery (estimate) | About $2,400 | About $2,950 | About $3,700 (Synergy) or $6,200 (Horizon Power) |
Swipe the table to compare NSW and WA →
Estimates only, as at 30 September 2026. They use about $2,400 for the federal discount on a 10 kWh battery (it moves with certificate prices), the NSW Government's example of about $550 for a 10 kWh battery on a VPP, and the WA maximums. Your quote will show the exact figures.
No state top-up, so battery size and design matter even more.
New South WalesStack a one-off NSW payment when you join a virtual power plant.
Western AustraliaThe biggest combined support, with a VPP requirement attached.
The federal program gives households and small businesses a discount of around 30% on the upfront cost of an eligible battery between 5 kWh and 100 kWh. In most cases your installer applies it as a reduction on your quote, so you do not claim it yourself.
Since 1 May 2026, the discount tapers as batteries get bigger:
That makes a well-sized battery more valuable than an oversized one. A typical 10 kWh battery receives around $2,400 in 2026, depending on certificate prices.
The discount is calculated from an STC factor that falls on a set schedule. The factor that applies is the one on the day your battery is installed, not the day you sign.
| Installation date | STC factor |
|---|---|
| May to December 2026 (now) | 6.8 |
| January to June 2027 | 5.7 |
| July to December 2027 | 5.2 |
| January to June 2028 | 4.6 |
The step from 6.8 to 5.7 is a cut of about 16% to the discount rate. If a battery is already on your list, getting it installed before 1 January 2027 keeps the current rate.
There is no Queensland Government solar or battery rebate in 2026. The Battery Booster program closed in May 2024, and nothing has replaced it. If you see a "QLD solar rebate" or "QLD battery rebate" advertised, it is the federal support.
What Queensland households can claim:
With no state top-up, the real return in Queensland comes from how much of your own solar you use. Low feed-in tariffs mean a kWh stored and used at night is usually worth several times more than the same kWh exported.
We install across Brisbane, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast and Ipswich.
The NSW battery installation discount ended on 30 June 2025. In its place, NSW increased its incentive for connecting a battery to a virtual power plant (VPP), and this can be claimed on top of the federal discount.
Before joining, read the VPP agreement: how often the operator can use your battery, how much charge is kept for your home, and how you can leave.
From 1 September 2026, NSW also offers battery incentives for small and medium businesses and for apartment buildings. Talk to us about commercial batteries.
We install across Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, the Central Coast and Maitland.
WA has the most generous combined support. The WA Residential Battery Scheme works alongside the federal discount and adds:
We install across Perth, Joondalup, Fremantle, Rockingham, Mandurah and Canning Vale.
Yes, there is still a solar panel rebate. It is federal, not state. Solar systems up to 100 kW create small-scale technology certificates (STCs) under the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme. Your installer usually claims them for you and takes the value off your quote.
The number of certificates depends on three things:
| Example: 6.6 kW system, Zone 3 | Installed in 2026 | Installed in 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Certificates (approx.) | 45 | 36 |
| Rebate at about $38 per certificate | About $1,700 | About $1,370 |
The certificate price moves with the market, so treat these as estimates. The direction is certain, though: the solar rebate gets smaller every year until it ends in 2030.
Feed-in tariffs in South East Queensland are now only a few cents per kWh, and some retailers pay nothing on certain plans. A solar system today is worth most when it is designed around what your home uses, not what it exports. Why low feed-in tariffs change the maths.
Yes, but it is the federal one. Queensland has no state solar panel rebate. The federal Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme gives solar systems certificates (STCs) that usually appear as a discount on your quote. For a 6.6 kW system in Brisbane or the Gold Coast installed in 2026, that is roughly $1,700, depending on certificate prices.
There is no Queensland Government battery rebate in 2026. The Battery Booster program closed in May 2024. Queensland households can still get the federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program discount, which is around 30% off the upfront cost of an eligible battery.
In NSW, yes: the NSW virtual power plant (VPP) incentive can be claimed on top of the federal discount. In WA, yes: the WA Residential Battery Scheme is designed to work alongside the federal program. Queensland has no state battery incentive to combine.
The STC factor that sets the federal battery discount drops from 6.8 to 5.7 on 1 January 2027, then steps down every six months until the program ends in 2030. The discount is set by the date the battery is installed, not the date you sign.
For the federal discount, the battery must be VPP-capable, but you do not have to join a VPP. The WA state rebate requires you to join a VPP. The NSW incentive is paid for connecting your battery to a VPP.
Not necessarily. Since 1 May 2026 the federal discount applies in full only to the first 14 kWh. Capacity from 14 to 28 kWh gets 60%, and 28 to 50 kWh gets 15%. The right size depends on your evening usage, not the rebate.
Yes. Solar panel systems still create small-scale technology certificates (STCs), which usually appear as a discount on your quote. The value depends on system size, location and certificate price, and it reduces each year until the scheme ends in 2030.
This page is general information, not financial advice. Rebates, eligibility and amounts change, and some depend on your retailer, network and battery. We confirm the exact figures for your home in your quote.
We check your state, retailer and usage, then show every rebate on your quote, itemised. Free and without obligation.
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