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Rebates for installing solar panels in the ACT

Homeowners installing solar panels in the Australian Capital Territory are entitled to the Federal Government's STC 'rebate'. This financial incentive comes in the form of Small-Scale Technology Certificates, more commonly referred to as STCs. When you install a solar power system, a certain number of STCs are created based on the size and location of your solar installation. Each STC carries a monetary value, and the total value of these certificates equates to your 'solar rebate.'

Your chosen solar company will handle the application for the rebate on your behalf and apply the value of this rebate as a discount at the point of sale. You can read more in-depth about the STC rebate in our recent blog post on the subject. To make life easy, we have calculated the value of the STC rebate you are entitled to in the ACT for common solar system sizes in the table below:

System Size	Federal Government Rebate (STC's)	State Government Rebate
2 kW	$1080	Next Generation Program
3 kW	$1620	Next Generation Program
4 kW	$2160	Next Generation Program
5 kW	$2736	Next Generation Program
6.6kW	$3600	Next Generation Program
10 kW	$5472	Next Generation Program

*Please note that the STC rebate calculations are based on solar panels installed in Canberra, ACT (Zone 3) using an STC price of $36.00.

In addition to the Federal Government STC rebate, you may be eligible for one of the following ACT Government rebates:

Solar for Low Income Program - eligible participants can access a subsidy of up to 50% of the total cost of a solar system (capped at $2500) along with a three-year interest-free loan to pay off the difference.

Next Generation Energy Storage Program - this program offers $825 per kW (up to 30kW max) for 5000 ACT homes and businesses to install solar battery storage.

Current feed-in tariff rates in the ACT

Solar feed-in tariffs (FITs) are the amount you get paid by your energy retailer for the excess energy your solar system exports back into the grid. During the day, it’s typical for your solar power system to generate more power than is being used in your home. This excess means that if you have a grid-connected solar system, the energy you don't use feeds back into the grid, and your energy retailer will pay you a fixed amount per kWh of energy that you send to them. The retailer-provided solar FITs listed here do not include any bonus feed-in tariff that may be provided by the ACT Government.

Energy Retailer	Min rate (per kWh)	Max rate (per kWh)
Energy Locals	10.0c	16.0c
ActewAGL	8.0c	11.0c
Powerclub	0.0c	10.0c
Origin Energy	8.0c	8.0c
Simply Energy	0.0c	0.0c
Red Energy	0.0c	0.0c
Energy Australia	0.0c	0.0c

*The feed-in tariff rates you are entitled to vary depending on the energy plan you choose with the retailer. Feed-in tariff rates displayed are correct as of March 2020.

Simple guide to sizing your solar system in the ACT

Choosing the right system size depends on many factors, including how much power you use during daylight hours, your roof orientation, whether shading will be an issue, and how much roof space you have at your home or business. As a rough guide, you can compare the average daily power usage on your power bill to the average daily output of common system sizes we have calculated in the table below:

System Size	Avg daily output	Return on Investment
2 kW	8.6 kWh	3 - 5 years
3 kW	12.9 kWh	3 - 5 years
4 kW	17.2 kWh	3 - 5 years
5 kW	21.5 kWh	3 - 5 years
6.6 kW	28.4 kWh	3 - 5 years
10 kW	43.0 kWh	3 - 5 years

*Please note that the location used for the daily output calculations is Canberra, ACT - based on the Clean Energy Council GC Design Guidelines.

Finding the best solar panels for your home in the ACT!

We have proudly helped thousands of homeowners compare solar quotes in the Australian Capital Territory over the past five years. There are now 28,284 homeowners in the ACT enjoying the benefits of solar power in their homes!