South Australia has excellent solar resources and a high penetration of rooftop solar, operating in STC Zone 3.
South Australia's commercial solar incentive is built the same way as Queensland's — federal STCs for the upfront rebate, with no state VEEC-style certificate and no PDRS-style battery scheme layered on top. Adelaide (5000) sits in STC Zone 3 at 1.382, the same band as most of the settled SA coast; a 100 kW system installed in 2026 earns roughly 691 STCs over the scheme's remaining 5 years. Move into the outback and the multiplier steps up: Coober Pedy (5723) sits in STC Zone 1 at 1.622, about 17% more STCs for an identical system, because CER zones are set by measured solar resource rather than population.
SA businesses adding a battery use the federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program, the same tiered scheme available in every other state on this list — the first 14 kWh of usable capacity at full value, the next 14 kWh at 60%, and the remainder up to 50 kWh at 15%, phasing down every six months to 2030. There is no SA-specific battery rebate on top.
SA commercial solar installations can access the following incentive schemes.
Registered 17 September 2026: STC eligibility expands from 100 kW to 1 MW for solar installed from 1 October 2026. The 100 kW limit above still governs anything installed before that date, and capacity above the first 1 MW keeps earning LGCs. Read the announcement.
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The zone multiplier determines how many STCs are generated per kilowatt of installed capacity. A multiplier of 1.382 means a 100 kW system in Adelaide installed in 2026 generates 691 STCs over the remaining deeming period (5 years to 2030), worth approximately $26,949 at current certificate prices.
Large-scale Generation Certificates provide annual recurring revenue for solar systems above 100 kW in South Australia. Unlike the one-time STC discount, LGCs generate income every year based on actual electricity production.
One LGC is created per megawatt-hour (MWh) of generation. At current prices of $8/LGC, a 150 kW system in SA generating approximately 198 MWh per year would earn roughly $1,536/year in LGC revenue.
Above 100 kW, solar earns LGCs annually instead of an upfront STC discount. Here is how the scheme works, what a certificate is really worth in 2026, and what changes in October.
Upfront STCs for solar up to 1 MW from October 2026, worth roughly $272/kW at current prices. What the registered rules say, and how the 1 MW ceiling is tested.
Adelaide (5000) sits in STC Zone 3, a 1.382 multiplier, the same band as most of the settled SA coast.
Coober Pedy (5723) sits in STC Zone 1, the top irradiance band at 1.622 — about 17% more STCs than Adelaide for an identical system, reflecting the much stronger solar resource in the outback than the settled coast.
No — SA relies on the federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program for batteries, the same national scheme available in every state on this list. There is no SA-specific certificate program layered on top the way NSW runs PDRS.
Yes, on the same terms as the rest of the National Electricity Market — one LGC per MWh actually generated, claimed annually rather than upfront.
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