SMALL-SCALE TECHNOLOGY CERTIFICATES (STCS)
Government incentives in the form of Small-scale Technology Certifcates (STCs) help reduce the upfront cost of installing your solar PV system.
STCs are an electronic form of currency and are allocated to you when you install a solar PV system. One STC is equivalent to one megawatt-hour of electricity generated by your solar PV system.
The price of STCs changes according to market conditions. The
total level of subsidy you receive will depend on a number of
factors, including the location and size of the solar PV system and the price of STCs at the time the system was installed.
There are two ways you can be paid for your STCs:
1. Assign your STCs when you purchase your solar PV system to a registered agent in exchange for a financial beneft, which may be in the form of a delayed cash payment or upfront discount on your solar PV system (most consumers take this option, and your solar retailer will usually make the arrangements on your behalf), or
2. Create the STCs yourself by fnding a buyer and then selling and transferring them in the Renewable Energy Certifcate (REC) Registry.
For more information, contact the Clean Energy Regulator:
www.cleanenergyregulator.gov.au/RET
HOW MUCH OF A DISCOUNT WILL I RECEIVE FROM THE STCS?
Australia is divided up into various zones based on how much renewable energy can be generated by a solar panel in a given area.
The same size system installed in Melbourne or Hobart (zone 4) receives fewer STCs than those installed in sunny Sydney (zone 3) or Darwin (zone 2), where systems can produce more energy. You can use the REC Registry calculator on the Clean Energy Regulator’s website to determine your approximate level of subsidy: rec-registry.gov.au
The table below shows the level of financial support available from STCs on solar PV systems in the major capital cities of Australia.
ELECTRICITY RETAILER PAYMENTS
Your electricity retailer might pay you for the electricity you export back to the grid. Rates vary between electricity retailers. In some states the government regulates a minimum rate and some state governments leave it to consumers to negotiate a deal with their electricity retailer. See ‘feed-in tariffs’ on page 9
