Commercial solar
Commercial solar for Melbourne businesses
Commercial solar panels pay off best for Melbourne businesses that use most of their power in daylight, and the federal STC discount comes off the price of systems up to 1 MW: up to about $22,500 on a 100 kW system installed in 2026 in most of Melbourne, at $38/STC. We design and install business systems alongside our home solar systems.
We size every business system to its roof, its power use and its network connection, and model the payback from your own interval data.
Updated
Commercial solar systems by industry
A commercial solar power system is the same idea as home solar on a bigger scale: rooftop panels, three phase inverters (often more than one) and, if you want, a battery. Business solar pays best where the power is used while the sun is up, so how a business uses power matters more than its size.
Offices and clinics
Lighting, computers and air-conditioning run through business hours, which lines up well with solar. If you lease, the landlord usually owns the roof, so agree on the system and who owns it before you ask for a proposal.
Warehouses, factories and workshops
Large roofs and daytime machinery, compressors and cool rooms suit the biggest systems. An older roof may need its structure checked before it carries a large array, and anything above 30 kW of inverter goes through a network assessment.
Shops, cafés and retail
Refrigeration, lighting and air-conditioning run every trading hour. A smaller roof often limits the size, so the design aims to use every kWh on site rather than export it.
Farms
Dairy sheds, irrigation pumps, cool stores and farm workshops use power in daylight, often under a large shed roof. Smaller rural systems can face tighter export limits on single wire earth return (SWER) lines: AusNet, for example, pre-approves up to 10 kW of inverter and 5 kW of export per phase (3.5 kW on SWER lines). Size a farm system to the loads that run while the sun is up.
Strata buildings
On a strata building the roof is usually common property, so the owners corporation decides. In most cases an apartment owner needs its approval, and an owners corporation must not make rules that unreasonably prohibit solar panels on the exterior of a lot (Consumer Affairs Victoria).
For apartment blocks, Solar Victoria’s Solar for Apartments program offers rebates of up to $2,800 per apartment (up to $140,000 per property) until 30 June 2027 or until the rebates run out. It is for owners corporations of 3 to 50 lots, not commercial buildings; buildings of up to 150 lots, or over 8 storeys, can ask Solar Victoria for an exemption first. The system must supply at least 5 residential lots and pay back within 10 years after STCs. Two owners corporation representatives sign Solar Victoria’s approval form for the quote, and a Solar Victoria authorised retailer must install it. Solar Victoria: Solar for Apartments
What size commercial solar system does a business need?
Start from how much power you use in daylight, then check the roof. The table shows what 30, 50 and 100 kW systems make in Melbourne and how many panels they take. A 50kW solar system, for example, makes about 71,000 kWh a year, roughly 194 kWh on an average day, from 106 to 114 panels.
| System size | Panels | Panel area | Yearly output | Average a day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 kW | 64–69 | About 130–140 m² | About 42,600 kWh | About 117 kWh |
| 50 kW | 106–114 | About 210–230 m² | About 71,000 kWh | About 194 kWh |
| 100 kW | 211–228 | About 420–460 m² | About 141,900 kWh | About 389 kWh |
What limits the size
- Roof: usable area, direction and pitch, walkways and edge clearances, and the structure.
- Daytime use: a system that makes more than you use in the day mostly exports, which earns far less than using it.
- Network: above 30 kW of three phase inverter, your distributor assesses the connection and can limit exports.
- Scheme thresholds: 100 kW and 1 MW change how the STCs work (see rebates below).
How much does commercial solar cost?
We price every commercial system to its site: the roof, the switchboard, the network application and the inverters it needs all change the cost, so you get a fixed price in a written proposal after we review your power use and inspect the site.
What sets the price of commercial solar panels and the system around them:
- Size: the price per kW usually falls as the system grows.
- Roof and access: roof type, height, safety equipment and lifting gear.
- Switchboard and protection: upgrades, and central protection on larger systems.
- Network application: a negotiated connection and technical assessment above 30 kW.
- Batteries and backup: optional, and priced separately.
Working out the payback
- Price after STCs: the installed price less the STC discount for your system size.
- Yearly saving: the solar you use on site × the rate you pay for power, plus the solar you export × your feed-in rate.
- Payback: price after STCs ÷ yearly saving.
Business tariffs vary widely between retailers, networks and tariff types, so we use your own bills and your interval data (the half-hourly readings your retailer or distributor can give you) rather than an average. That shows how much of the solar your business would use on site.
Commercial solar rebates and incentives
The main commercial solar rebate is the federal STC discount, the same scheme as home solar. Which rules apply depends on the system size: small-scale up to 100 kW, mid-scale from 100 kW to 1 MW, and above 1 MW a power station that creates large-scale generation certificates (LGCs) instead.
| System size | Scheme | Installed in 2026 | Installed in 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 kW | Small-scale | 88 STCs, up to about $3,300 | 71 STCs, up to about $2,700 |
| 30 kW | Small-scale | 177 STCs, up to about $6,700 | 142 STCs, up to about $5,400 |
| 50 kW | Small-scale | 296 STCs, up to about $11,200 | 237 STCs, up to about $9,000 |
| 100 kW | Small-scale | 592 STCs, up to about $22,500 | 474 STCs, up to about $18,000 |
| 150 kW | Mid-scale (fixed 5 years) | 888 STCs, up to about $33,700 | 888 STCs, up to about $33,700 |
| 250 kW | Mid-scale (fixed 5 years) | 1,481 STCs, up to about $56,300 | 1,481 STCs, up to about $56,300 |
| 500 kW | Mid-scale (fixed 5 years) | 2,962 STCs, up to about $112,600 | 2,962 STCs, up to about $112,600 |
Up to 100 kW: small-scale STCs
Systems up to 100 kW create STCs upfront: kW × your postcode’s zone rating × the years left in the scheme (5 for systems installed in 2026). The years fall by one every 1 January until the scheme ends in 2030, and your installer usually takes the STCs as a discount on the price.
100 kW to 1 MW: mid-scale solar (from 1 October 2026)
Since 1 October 2026 the scheme also covers solar systems from 100 kW to 1 MW. They get a fixed 5-year deeming period through to 2030 instead of the falling one, so a 150 kW system installed in 2027 still earns five years of STCs. The Clean Energy Regulator says applications for mid-scale STCs open in mid to late November 2026. A mid-scale system can take STCs or create Renewable Electricity Guarantee of Origin (REGO) certificates instead, not both for the deeming period, so choose before you apply. CER: mid-scale solar
Over 1 MW: LGCs and REGO
Larger systems are power stations. Under the Large-scale Renewable Energy Target an accredited power station creates one LGC for each megawatt-hour it generates and feeds into the grid, until the Renewable Energy Target ends in 2030. The REGO scheme continues beyond 2030, and the same generation can’t create both LGCs and REGO certificates.
Victorian programs for business
Solar Victoria’s Solar for Business rebate ran from May 2021 and closed on 30 June 2023. Its current rebates are for homes and, through Solar for Apartments, apartment owners corporations (see strata buildings above), not business premises.
Commercial battery storage and demand charges
A business battery stores daytime solar for the evening, cuts demand peaks and, with the right inverter and wiring, keeps chosen circuits running in a blackout. The federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program covers businesses too, for a battery of 5 to 100 kWh. STCs are paid on the first 50 kWh of usable capacity: the full rate on the first 14 kWh, 60% of it up to 28 kWh and 15% up to 50 kWh, so a large business battery gets less per kWh than a home battery. Installed in May–December 2026, a 30 kWh battery gets 154 STCs (up to about $5,900 off) and a 50 kWh battery 174 STCs (up to about $6,600).
How demand charges work
Some business tariffs add a demand charge on top of the usual usage and supply charges. Demand is how intensely you use electricity at a point in time, measured in kilowatts (kW), so it is high when lots of equipment runs at once. Depending on the retailer, you may be charged for:
- your highest demand in a period of time
- an average of peak demand over a period of time
- different demand rates in different seasons
Solar cuts the kWh you buy, but it can’t promise to cut your peak: one cloudy afternoon with the compressors on, or an evening peak after sunset, can set the charge for the whole period. A battery set to discharge when your demand climbs can shave those peaks, and your interval data shows when they happen, which sets the battery’s size and its settings. Source: Energy Made Easy (Australian Energy Regulator).
Blackout protection needs a backup-capable inverter and a backup circuit for the loads you choose; a battery alone shuts down with the grid.
Finance, tax and the instant asset write-off
Solar power for business can be paid for in cash or through business or equipment finance from your bank or a finance company. Compare the repayments with the yearly saving in your proposal.
Instant asset write-off and depreciation
The $20,000 instant asset write-off is permanent from 1 July 2026; Parliament passed the bill on 19 August 2026. A business with aggregated turnover under $10 million can deduct the business share of each eligible asset that costs less than $20,000 in the year it is first used or installed ready for use. The threshold applies to each asset, not the whole purchase.
- $20,000 or more: the asset can go into the small business simplified depreciation pool, deducted at 15% in the first year and 30% each year after.
- Timing: the deduction falls in the year the system is installed ready for use, so the commissioning date matters near 30 June.
- Ask your accountant: whether your system counts as one asset or several, and what counts as its cost.
Sources: Treasury (second reading speech, Tax Reform No. 2 Bill 2026), Treasury media release and business.gov.au. Tax rules depend on your business and its structure, so speak to your accountant before you decide how to pay.
How we deliver a commercial solar installation
- Energy-use review. Your bills and interval data show when your business uses power, which sets the system size and how much of its output you’d use on site.
- Site inspection. The roof, its structure and access, the switchboard and the space for inverters.
- Design and proposal. Panel layout, inverters, any battery, the modelled output and a fixed price.
- Network application. We apply to your distributor and wait for approval before installing.
- Installation. Installed by licensed electricians to the Solar Accreditation Australia guidelines, with a Certificate of Electrical Safety for the electrical work.
- Commissioning and monitoring. The system is switched on once approved and set up for monitoring, and the STC (or REGO) paperwork is lodged.
Network approval for larger systems
- A basic (pre-approved) connection covers up to 30 kW of three phase inverter. Above that, CitiPower’s 2026–31 connection policy makes it a negotiated connection, and other networks assess it individually. CitiPower connection policy
- AusNet, for 30 kW to 1.5 MW: a paid manual technical assessment with a single line diagram, approval before installation, and central protection on systems over 200 kW. AusNet
- Victoria’s emergency backstop applies to new solar of every size: since 25 October 2023 for systems over 200 kW and since 1 October 2024 for smaller ones. Output can be turned down remotely, only as a last resort when the market operator requires it. Victorian Government
Why businesses choose us
- Local: a Mount Waverley team installing commercial solar power in Melbourne and regional Victoria.
- Designed to your site: sized from your interval data, not a standard package.
- Blackout protection: batteries and backup circuits for the loads that can’t stop.
- After the install: monitoring, servicing and repairs from the same team. Our services
We fit the solar panels and solar inverters on those pages; larger three phase systems often use more than one inverter, confirmed at design.
Commercial solar case studies
We publish business installs here only with the client’s permission: the system size, the suburb and what it produced. Until then, your proposal shows the modelled output for your own roof and power use.
Comparing commercial solar companies? Ask each one for its accreditation, the modelled output for your roof, how much of it you would use on site, and who handles the network application.
Commercial solar across Melbourne
From our Mount Waverley base we install commercial solar systems in Melbourne’s eastern, south-eastern, northern and western suburbs and on the Mornington Peninsula.
Commercial solar: your questions
Is commercial solar worth it for my business?
It is worth most to a business that uses most of its power in daylight: shops, offices, workshops, cool rooms and factories that run through the day use their own solar instead of buying power, which is worth more than exporting it. The federal STC discount comes off the price of systems up to 1 MW, worth up to about $22,500 on a 100 kW system installed in 2026 in most of Melbourne. We model the saving from your own interval data before you commit.
What size solar system can my business install?
It depends on your roof, how much power you use in the day and what your electricity distributor approves. Three phase systems up to 30 kW of inverter usually fit a basic connection; anything larger is a negotiated connection with a technical assessment. Up to 100 kW a system earns standard STCs, and from 100 kW to 1 MW it is a mid-scale system that can also claim STCs. Sizes, panels and output
Can a business get the battery rebate?
Yes. The federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program covers households, businesses and community organisations installing a battery of 5 to 100 kWh, with STCs paid on the first 50 kWh of usable capacity. A 50 kWh battery installed in May–December 2026 gets 174 STCs, up to about $6,600 off. The battery rebate in detail
What happens to the solar my business doesn’t use?
It goes to the grid and earns whatever feed-in rate your retailer pays; Victoria has had no minimum feed-in tariff since 1 July 2025. Your distributor can also cap how much a larger system exports. A battery can store the surplus for the evening, or a system can be sized so most of its output is used on site.
Can my business claim solar panels under the instant asset write-off?
Only for an asset that costs less than $20,000, and only if your business’s aggregated turnover is under $10 million. The write-off is permanent from 1 July 2026 and the threshold applies to each asset. An asset of $20,000 or more can go into the small business depreciation pool instead: 15% in the first year and 30% each year after. Ask your accountant how your system is treated before you sign. Tax and depreciation
Will solar panels lower my business’s demand charges?
Not reliably on their own. A demand charge is set by how hard you draw power at one point in time, often your highest kW in a set period, so one cloudy afternoon or an evening peak can set it whatever the solar made on other days. A battery set to discharge during your peaks can lower it, and your interval data shows how big that battery needs to be. Batteries and demand charges
Commercial solar in Melbourne: where to start
PVGIS puts each kW of panels facing north at 20° in Mount Waverley, Melbourne at about 1,419 kWh a year, or about 71,000 kWh for a 50kW system, but a June day there makes only about 56% of the average day. So check a Melbourne design against your winter daytime load, not just your summer one. Your postcode changes the rebate: most Melbourne sites are in STC zone 4, and a site in a zone 3 postcode (some northern and western suburbs) earns 49 more STCs on 50 kW installed in 2026. Above 30 kW of inverter, your network (AusNet, Jemena, CitiPower, United Energy or Powercor) assesses the connection and sets how much the system can export.
Start with your recent bills and the interval data your distributor holds. Our Mount Waverley team then inspects the roof and the switchboard and prepares a proposal with the modelled output for your site.
Get a commercial solar proposal
Send us your recent bills and we’ll start with your power use, then design, price and model a system for your site.
Talk to us about solar for your business
Locally owned, locally installed. Call, email, or send the form and we’ll come out and inspect the property.
- Phone
- 0485 000 015
- Workshop
- 8/41 Ricketts Road,
Mount Waverley, VIC 3149