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    Solar panels on the roof of a house

    Solar feed-in tariff changes

    The Queensland Government’s Solar Bonus Scheme includes two types of feed-in tariff (FiT) in regional Queensland, the 44 cents/kWh FiT and the regional FiT:

    44c feed-in tariff

    The 44c FiT was closed to new solar customers in July 2012. Around half of all solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in regional Queensland are still on this FiT.

    Under changes to legislation which took effect on 23 November 2012, customers will lose eligibility if they make changes such as:

    • close their electricity account, or add someone as an electricity account holder (other than their spouse), or
    • increase the rated inverter capacity, or
    • increase their electricity consumption above 100 MWh per annum and the premises is reclassified as a Large Customer.

    In addition, under changes to legislation which took effect from 15 February 2018, customers may lose eligibility if they:

    • add panels to create a total array kW capacity that exceeds the rated AC power capacity (kW) of the existing inverter/s, or
    • add an energy storage system (such as a battery) that can either discharge at the same time as the PV system (other than during a network outage) or export to our electricity network, or
    • add another generating system to the premises that can either operate at the same time as the PV system (other than during a network outage) or export to our electricity network.

    For more information, visit the Queensland Government Solar Bonus Scheme 44c FiT website.

    If you believe we have incorrectly removed your customer's 44c/kWh FiT, please complete our Solar Bonus Scheme tariff change form (PDF 356.8 kb).

    Warranty panel replacement and eligibility

    If panels require replacement under warranty on a PV system eligible for the 44c FiT, and on which the array is already the same or a higher kW capacity as the existing inverter, the installer should make every effort to install new panels of the same wattage.

    Where the wattage can’t be exactly matched, an increase in wattage of up to 5% across the entire array is allowable without impacting the customer’s eligibility for the 44c FiT. If we discover that the new array capacity exceeds the existing inverter capacity by more than 5%, the customer will lose eligibility for the 44c FiT.

    Regional feed-in tariff

    When the 44c FiT ended in July 2012, it was replaced with the regional FiT. The regional FiT rate is set by the Queensland Competition Authority each year and is paid by the electricity retailer. From 1 July 2024 the rate is 12.377 cents per kilowatt hour.

    Effective from 31 August 2017, the maximum inverter capacity able to qualify for the regional FiT increased from 5 kW to 30 kW. All eligible customers connecting an eligible solar PV system to our network will receive the regional FiT.

    Extra panels, additional inverter capacity (creating a total capacity up to 30 kVA) and battery systems can be connected to the existing inverter(s) without eligibility for the regional FiT being affected. As with all PV systems, a connection application must still be lodged and approved before any modification can commence.

    For more information visit the Queensland Government’s Regional FiT web page.

    Need help?

    If you need more help to determine eligibility, please contact our Solar Team for advice on email ergongeneration@energyq.com.au.