Whilst STC's are not considered a 'rebate', if you buy a solar system in 2024, it is subsidised by a federal government scheme worth about $396 per kW installed. This is based on a $39 STC price after fees. That’s approximately $2,457 off a 6.6kW system, which is applied at the point of sale.

Current legislation means the solar rebate started to reduce by one fifteenth every year from Jan 2017 until it drops to zero in 2031.

The $1000's of dollars you get off your solar system price (usually by assigning the rights to its STCs to your installer) does not actually come from the government, but rather compels other people to buy your certificates. So it is a government run scheme, using other people’s money to provide the subsidy.

STCs are allocated to a renewable energy system using the following formula:

Postcode Zone Rating x Deeming Period Years x System Size in kW = Number of STCs created

The only criteria for claiming it are:

1) Your PV system is less than 100kW in size.

2) You get it installed and designed by a Clean Energy Council accredited professional.