Over a third of homes in the state electorate of Narracan have had solar panels installed, according to data from Australian ​​Photovoltaic Institute.

As of September 30, 2024, 35,000 homes in Narracan had solar, representing 33.9 percent of the housing stock.

The Australian ​​Photovoltaic Institute is a not-for-profit that collects data on the uptick of solar power and related technologies across Australia.

A solar panel electrician in Drouin, Blake Edwards, told the Gippsland Monitor solar panel installations started to ramp up last October and haven’t slowed.

This solar boom has been maintained by multiple federal and state government subsidies on installation.

What is a government rebate?

State and federal governments offer rebates on solar and interest free loans on battery installations to incentivise small-scale renewable energy use.

Edwards estimated 70 to 80 percent of the homes he works on are for customers claiming subsidies.

These discounts come in the form of the federal government's Small-Scale Technology Certificates (STC), the Solar Victoria Rebate and Victorian interest-free battery loans.

How does the STC rebate work?

Everyone is eligible for an STC rebate. The scheme is designed to encourage people to go solar prior to 2030, when the scheme ends. 

The rebate is determined by how much power your system will generate and the date of installation - the more power your system will generate and the sooner you install, the greater the discount.

A common 6kw system installed in Warragul will generate about 43 STCs. They are usually priced at around $37, so the rebate of a 6kw system would be $1,591.

STCs rebate calculations are taken care of by the selected solar installer so there’s no need to fret over doing these calculations yourself.

According to figures from the Clean Energy Regulator more than 300,000 solar systems have been installed each year since 2020 using the SRES scheme, which they estimate to have saved households $1,500 annually.

How does the Solar Victoria Rebate work?

The Victorian government offers households a rebate of $1,400 on solar system installations if they are eligible.

The criteria for eligibility is: 

• You are the owner of the property; 

• The combined household income is below $210,000;

• The value of the property is less than $3 million;

• There is no existing solar on the property less than 10 years old, and;

• The property has not previously received a solar rebate.

If you have received the rebate previously but have since moved, you can apply for another incentive at your new address, as long as that property has not received the rebate before.

How Victoria’s interest-free battery loans work

The Victorian government also offers an $8,800 interest free solar battery loan. These loans are repayable over 4 years and are available in addition to the $1,400 Victorian government rebate.

This loan will often cover the entire cost of installation of a home battery.

The same criteria as the Solar Victoria Rebate applies to this loan.