Short answer: STCs, LGCs and VEECs are mutually exclusive on the same solar system — you claim whichever one applies, never two at once. Battery schemes are different: NSW's PDRS and the federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program both stack on top of solar STCs or LGCs, 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) | Not both | Choose the higher value. VIC systems 30–200 kW compare both; under 100 kW, STCs usually win. |
| STC vs LGC | Mutually exclusive by size | ≤100 kW earns upfront deemed STCs; >100 kW 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 (≤100 kW) or LGCs (>100 kW). 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 compare STCs against VEECs and claim whichever pays more — never both. A battery installed at the same time is a separate VEEC activity and can still create its own certificates.
VIC incentive detail →Calculated live using current certificate prices, so the numbers move as the market does.
The two schemes are compared and only the higher value is claimed for this system — the other is not available on top.
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.
No. STCs (federal) and VEECs (Victoria) cannot both be claimed for the same solar PV system — you choose whichever scheme pays more. Systems under 30 kW only qualify for STCs; VEEC-eligible systems (30–200 kW) are compared against STCs and claimed under whichever is higher.
Not on the same capacity. Systems at or below 100 kW take deemed upfront STCs; above 100 kW the system registers as a power station and earns LGCs annually instead. There is no partial claim across the two — the whole system falls under one scheme based on its size.
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 (or LGCs above 100 kW); 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 above 100 kW; 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 (≤100 kW) or LGCs (>100 kW). Victoria additionally offers VEECs as an alternative to STCs (not a stack). NSW additionally offers the PDRS for batteries, which does stack with solar STCs or LGCs. Other states currently have no additional state-based solar or battery certificate scheme.
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