Short answer: STCs and LGCs split a system by capacity, with STCs on the first 1 MW of site capacity for installs from 1 October 2026 (the first 100 kW before) and LGCs on the balance. Victorian VEECs stack on top of either for eligible 30–200 kW commercial systems. Battery schemes stack too: NSW's PDRS and the federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program both sit on top of the solar certificates, because they reward different equipment.
Every combination of Australian solar and battery incentives comes down to one question: do the two schemes reward the same piece of equipment, or different equipment? Same equipment means choose one; different equipment means both apply.
| Combination | Can you stack? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| STC + VEEC (same solar PV system) | Stack | VEU Activity 47 VEECs are created in addition to federal STCs on eligible VIC systems of 30–200 kW. |
| STC vs LGC | Split by capacity | The first 1 MW of site capacity earns upfront deemed STCs for installs from 1 October 2026 (the first 100 kW before). Capacity above that registers as a power station and earns annual metered LGCs. |
| Solar STCs + battery PDRS (NSW) | Stack | Different equipment. Solar earns STCs; the battery earns Peak Reduction Certificates for shifting the evening peak. |
| Solar STCs + federal Cheaper Home Batteries | Stack | The battery scheme is a separate federal certificate class from solar STCs, even when installed together. |
| VEEC solar + VEEC battery activities | Separate activities | Victorian Energy Upgrades registers solar and battery as distinct activities, each creating its own VEECs. |
| LGC + PDRS on C&I solar + battery | Stack | The federal generation certificate on the solar output and the NSW state battery scheme do not overlap. |
The federal STC/LGC split applies everywhere. What changes state to state is whether there is a second scheme to stack on top.
Solar earns STCs up to 1 MW of site capacity for installs from 1 October 2026 (100 kW before) and LGCs above that. A battery installed alongside it separately earns PDRS Peak Reduction Certificates. No choice required; both apply to the same project.
NSW incentive detail →Solar systems 30–200 kW create VEECs under VEU Activity 47 on top of federal STCs or LGCs. A battery installed at the same time is a separate VEEC activity and creates its own certificates as well.
VIC incentive detail →No additional state solar or battery certificate scheme currently applies. Solar claims STCs up to 1 MW of site capacity for installs from 1 October 2026 (100 kW before) and LGCs above that; the federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program still stacks with either for a battery.
Calculated live using current certificate prices less provider fees (STCs 3%, VEECs 10%, PRCs 20%), so the numbers move as the market does.
The same panels create both certificate types: federal STCs plus VEU Activity 47 VEECs, claimed together on the one install.
Different equipment, different schemes; both amounts apply to the same project at the same time.
Run the numbers for your own project scheme by scheme, or start with the incentives hub for the full picture.
Yes, for eligible Victorian commercial systems. The ESC’s C&I solar activity guide allows VEECs (VEU Activity 47, 30–200 kW) to be created as well as federal STCs or LGCs on the same system. Systems under 30 kW fall outside Activity 47 and claim STCs only.
Yes, but not on the same capacity. For solar installed from 1 October 2026, the first 1 MW of site capacity takes deemed upfront STCs on a fixed five-year deeming period and the balance above 1 MW earns LGCs annually. For installs before 1 October 2026 the split is at 100 kW: STCs on the first 100 kW, LGCs on the balance.
Yes. The Peak Demand Reduction Scheme pays Peak Reduction Certificates for a battery that shifts demand out of the evening peak, a different piece of equipment to the solar panels. Solar earns STCs up to 1 MW of site capacity for installs from 1 October 2026 (100 kW before), and LGCs above that; the battery earns PRCs. The two stack.
Yes. The Cheaper Home Batteries Program is a separate battery-only certificate class administered by the Clean Energy Regulator. Installing solar and a battery together earns solar STCs from the standard scheme and battery STCs from the batteries program, both as upfront discounts.
Yes. LGCs are earned annually on the metered output of solar capacity above 1 MW (above 100 kW for installs before 1 October 2026); a NSW battery installed alongside it earns PRCs under the PDRS. These sit in different schemes at different levels of government, so a C&I solar-plus-battery project can claim both.
No. Every state gets federal STCs up to 1 MW of site capacity for installs from 1 October 2026 (100 kW before), and LGCs above that. Victoria additionally offers VEECs, which stack on top of the federal certificates for 30–200 kW commercial systems. NSW additionally offers the PDRS for batteries, which also stacks with solar STCs or LGCs. Other states currently have no additional state-based solar or battery certificate scheme.
No more spreadsheet checks for STC-vs-VEEC or manually adding PDRS to a battery quote. Every proposal applies the right scheme, and stacks the right certificates, automatically.
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