What rebates and incentives are available for solar and batteries in NSW?

NSW consumers have access to several rebates and subsidies available for solar panels and solar batteries. Customers I help always want to understand what is available for them, and they want to know how SolarBright will apply these rebates for them.

These rebates and subsidies can come from federal and state governments, as well as your local council.  Before our customers decide to buy a battery or solar system, we make sure the incentives are explained to them. At SolarBright apply them to the pricing we prepare so our customer knows the price they will pay.

Federal Solar Incentives

First up are the STCs, or Small Technology Certificates, and issued through the Federal government via the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES).  These are Australia’s solar rebates for all residential and small businesses looking to add solar to their home or office. These apply for all solar panel systems under 100kW in size. STCs function as a tradable currency and can be sold on the market for a determined price.

At SolarBright we have the STCs signed over to us by the customer and will claim their value from the government after the installation of the solar system. We have already passed the discount on to the customer by deducting it from the quoted price of the system. In this way, STCs give our customers an upfront discount on their installation.

The number of STCs received from your installation depends on how large your system is, which climate zone you live in and the number of years remaining in the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES). This last point is important.

Each year I see the total value of the STC’s per system coming down by 7% and the scheme will be phased out by December 31^st, 2030. At present (Feb 2025) the market value of an STC offered to our customers is $41.50 and a 6.6kW solar system is eligible for 54, so the rebate comes to $2,241for the system.

Every year the number of STC’s issued per kW of system size will decrease until the end of the scheme in 2030. You can check the STC calculator to find out how many STCs can be created for your solar system.

Federal Battery Rebate

The Australian Labour Party went into the last federal election in May 2025 with a promise to introduce a Federal Battery Rebate in July 2025 if re-elected.

This rebate is for batteries commissioned after the 1sy July, 2025. the amount of rebate you can claim will depend of the size of battery you purchase and is paid to the you via the same process as STC’s for a solar panels. For example a 12.8kWh Sungrow Battery will attract 119 STC’s so the rebate comes out to $4,938.50. If you purchase a new solar system and battery at the same time you can claim STC’s for both.

Every year the number of STC’s issued per kW of battery size will decrease until the end of the scheme in 2030. You can check the Federal Government Battery Rebate Calculator to find out how many STCs can be created for your battery purchase.

 Solar Incentives for Apartments in NSW

Another scheme from the NSW government is designed to assist apartment residents with putting solar on their apartment building (if it is eligible).

Under this scheme they can apply for the NSW to cover 50% of the cost of the work.

This is a limited scheme with a $25 million pool of grants and applications close 1 Dec 2025. However, it can cover up to $150,000 per project.

Local Council Incentives

I always advise my customers to check in with their local council too. Some councils offer rebates, grants or low-interest loans for renewable energy installations.

For example, Randwick Council in NSW has a “Sustainability Rebates” initiative where households, businesses and schools can receive rebates for several different renewable energy projects. For rooftop solar, households can receive a 10% rebate of up to $500 while businesses are eligible for 10% up to $1,000. Solar batteries on both households and businesses are both eligible for a 10% rebate up to $1,000.

For every customer that comes to SolarBright for solar or solar and battery pricing, we detail in the proposal all the eligible STC’S and PRC’s that apply.

If you would like to find out how much in solar incentives you may be eligible for, organise an obligation free in-home discussion with one of solar and battery experts.