Five schemes drive most Australian commercial solar and battery incentives: STCs (federal, upfront, systems under 100 kW), LGCs (federal, annual, above 100 kW), VEECs (Victoria, stacking with federal certificates), the NSW PDRS for batteries, and the federal Cheaper Home Batteries battery STCs. Amperage applies the schemes your project is eligible for automatically, using the site's state, postcode zone and system size.
Australian solar economics are certificate economics: most of the "rebate" on a commercial system is the market value of certificates the installation creates. Four schemes do most of the work, and Amperage applies whichever ones your project is eligible for automatically, based on the site's state, postcode zone, and system size. This page is the map; each scheme links to a live calculator for exact numbers.
STCs: federal, upfront, under 100 kW
Small-scale Technology Certificates cover systems up to 100 kW. The count depends on the postcode's zone rating and a deeming period that counts down to 2030, and the value is delivered upfront as a discount on the install. In Amperage, STCs reduce the net cost that payback and NPV are measured against. Exact figures: STC calculator.
LGCs: federal, annual, over 100 kW
Above 100 kW a system becomes a small power station: it earns Large-scale Generation Certificates each year on actual metered generation, through to the scheme's 2030 end. LGCs are revenue, not a discount. Amperage adds them to the yearly cashflow as a time-limited stream, which is why a 120 kW system's payback can beat its upfront cost suggestion. Exact figures: LGC calculator.
VEECs: Victoria, stacking with federal certificates
Victorian Energy Efficiency Certificates apply to commercial solar from 30 to 200 kW under VEU Activity 47, in addition to the federal certificates on the same system. They are also why the "Grant Maximising" scenario's size cap moves: STC value flatlines just under 100 kW, but VEECs keep incentive value growing to 200 kW. Exact figures: VEEC calculator.
NSW PDRS: batteries, not panels
The NSW Peak Demand Reduction Scheme pays Peak Reduction Certificates for batteries that cut demand in the summer evening peak, deemed upfront as an install discount. The panels themselves earn STCs or LGCs. Solar and storage are claimed under separate schemes. On eligible NSW projects Amperage prices the PDRS into the battery scenarios. Exact figures: PDRS calculator.
Batteries: the federal discount
The federal Cheaper Home Batteries program discounts eligible batteries (roughly 30% of install cost, on the first 50 kWh of usable capacity) and is open to small businesses despite the name. Amperage applies it to eligible battery scenarios alongside the PDRS where both fit. Exact figures: Cheaper Home Batteries calculator.
How they stack
- Under 100 kW: STCs upfront; plus VEECs in Victoria; plus battery schemes if storage is included.
- 100–200 kW: LGCs annually; plus VEECs in Victoria (the 47B band).
- Over 200 kW: LGCs annually.
- NSW: federal certificates for the panels, PDRS for the battery. They cover different parts of the project, so both apply.
The full stacking rules, state by state, live on the solar incentives hub.