AI overview
Commercial solar in Australia is supported by a federal certificate scheme, not a cash rebate. Systems up to 100kW earn small-scale technology certificates, which your installer usually claims and shows as a discount on the quote. The value is tied to a deeming period that shrinks by one year every January and the scheme ends in 2030, so the same system is worth fewer certificates each year you wait.
Key highlights
- There is no cash rebate. The support comes as tradeable certificates, claimed by your installer and shown as a discount
- 100kW is the dividing line. At or under, you are in the small-scale scheme. Above it, a different scheme applies
- Systems installed in 2026 are deemed for 5 years of generation
- The deeming period drops by one year every January, and the scheme ends in 2030
- Certificate values move with a market, so no honest quote can promise a fixed dollar figure months ahead
- Ask for the certificate count and the assumed value as separate lines on your quote
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Most Gold Coast business owners we speak to have heard there is a government rebate for solar. There is federal support, and it is worth real money, but it does not work the way most people picture it.
It is not a payment you apply for after the install. It is a certificate scheme, and the value usually reaches you as a discount on your quote before you pay anything.
Understanding it matters for one practical reason. The support is scheduled to shrink every year until it stops, so the timing of your decision changes what the system costs you.
The number that decides which scheme you are in
The Clean Energy Regulator splits solar into small-scale and large-scale, and the dividing line is 100kW.
Systems no larger than 100kW are treated as small generation units and can create small-scale technology certificates, known as STCs. Connected systems that together exceed 100kW are not small generation units, and a system above that capacity has to be registered as a power station to create large-scale generation certificates instead.
For most Gold Coast businesses, a warehouse, workshop, clinic or retail tenancy sits comfortably inside the small-scale scheme. That is the scheme worth understanding first.
- 100kW or under: small-scale scheme, creates STCs, handled by your installer
- Above 100kW: register as a power station, creates LGCs, a different process and a different market
- Multiple connected systems are counted together, not separately
How the certificate scheme actually works
An eligible system creates a number of certificates up front, based on how much electricity it is expected to generate over a set number of years. That expected generation is what the scheme calls deeming.
The certificates are then sold into a market. In practice your installer handles the paperwork and passes the value through, which is why it shows up as a reduction on the quoted price rather than money arriving later.
Two things drive how many certificates a system creates: its capacity, and where it is installed. Queensland sits in a strong solar zone, which works in a Gold Coast building owner's favour.
Why the same system is worth less every year
This is the part that changes decisions, and it is the reason we raise incentives at all rather than leaving it to the quote.
A system installed in 2026 is deemed for 5 years of generation. That deeming period reduces by one year each year, and the scheme ends in 2030.
So an identical system, on an identical roof, creates fewer certificates in each following year. Nothing about the hardware changes. The support behind it simply steps down on a published schedule.
- Installed in 2026: deemed for 5 years
- Each January: the deeming period drops by one year
- 2030: the small-scale scheme ends
What we will not tell you, and why
We will not quote you a dollar figure for your certificates in an article. Certificate prices move with a market, and any number written here would be wrong by the time you read it.
Be wary of anyone who promises a fixed rebate amount before seeing your roof and your energy use. The certificate count depends on the system that actually suits your building, and the value depends on the market on the day it is claimed.
What you should get is transparency about both. A quote that shows the certificate count and the assumed value separately lets you see exactly what the assumption is, and what happens if it moves.
What to ask before you sign
The incentive is straightforward once it is on paper. Most confusion comes from quotes that fold it into a single headline number, so you cannot see what you are actually being promised.
These questions take a minute each and make two quotes genuinely comparable.
- How many certificates does this system create, and at what assumed value per certificate?
- Is that value already deducted from the price I am being quoted?
- What happens to my price if the certificate market moves before installation?
- Is this system at or under 100kW, and has anything already installed been counted toward that?
- Who lodges the claim, and what do you need from me to do it?
Frequently asked questions
Is there a cash rebate for commercial solar?+
Not as a payment you claim afterwards. Federal support comes through a certificate scheme, and the value normally reaches you as a discount on your installed price because your installer claims the certificates on your behalf.
How long does the incentive last?+
The small-scale scheme is legislated to end in 2030. Until then the deeming period drops by one year each January, so the support behind an identical system reduces every year.
What is a deeming period?+
It is the number of years of generation the scheme credits your system for up front. A system installed in 2026 is deemed for 5 years, which is why installing sooner creates more certificates than installing later.
What if my system is bigger than 100kW?+
Above 100kW you are outside the small-scale scheme. The system needs to be registered as a power station and creates large-scale generation certificates instead, which is a different process with a different market. We can walk you through it if your site is at that scale.
Can you tell me what my rebate will be worth?+
Only against a real system on your roof, and only as an assumption on the day. We will show you the certificate count and the value we have assumed as separate lines so you can see both, rather than a single number you cannot check.
Do I have to do the paperwork?+
No. The claim is normally handled as part of the installation, and we will tell you exactly what we need from you to lodge it.
