incentivesstcveec
STC vs VEEC vs LGC: Which Fits Your Business?
Three incentive schemes, different eligibility rules. Find out which ones apply to your business and how much they are worth.
5 June 20268 min read
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 each year to 2030. There is no SA-specific battery rebate on top.
SA commercial solar installations can access the following incentive schemes.
Adjust system size to see your SA incentive breakdown at current certificate prices.
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 SA 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 $47/LGC, a 150 kW system in SA generating approximately 340 MWh per year would earn roughly $16,003/year in LGC revenue.
Three incentive schemes, different eligibility rules. Find out which ones apply to your business and how much they are worth.
Payback varies from 3 to 7 years depending on state, system size, and incentives. See the live state-by-state table and your own scenario.
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.