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.

New South Wales State Battery Rebate

With the hoopla I have seen in the solar industry you would have to be under a rock not to know about the NSW government battery rebate. It was announced back in April 2024 and launched on Nov 1, 2024.

The good news is NSW customers who install a solar system and battery are eligible not only for the federal STCs on the solar but also the NSW Peak Reduction Certificates (PRCs) on the battery issued by the state government.

The PRC scheme is designed to reduce the demand on the electrical grid during peak hour, making the grid more reliable and stable. Solar batteries are a keyway of doing this. To quote the government website: “The discount on the installation cost of your battery is only offered by (solar) installers working with an accredited supplier, not directly through the NSW Government.”

How it works for our customers is for each battery proposal done in our system calculates the PRC’s eligible for that size battery. This is then offered as an upfront discount to our customers. It is then up to SolarBright to install the battery in line with the installation guidelines, submit all the claim paperwork and get the PRC’s processed and paid.

This makes it easy for our customers.

The price of a PRC fluctuates based on market dynamics. In March 2025 a 12.8kWh Sungrow battery for our customer generates $1,959 in PRC’s.

 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.