Commercial solar installation in Melbourne

Five distributors, one city

CitiPower serves the city and inner suburbs, Jemena the northern and north-western suburbs, United Energy the southern suburbs and Mornington Peninsula, AusNet Services the outer north and east, and Powercor the western suburbs. Confirm the correct one for your property and check the tariff on the bill. When comparing multiple sites, keep each connection distinct.

Above 30 kW is a negotiated connection

AusNet, for example, runs a 30 kW to 1.5 MW pathway with a paid technical assessment, requires central protection above 200 kW, and requires these systems to be enabled for Victoria’s solar emergency backstop. The backstop has applied to new systems above 200 kW since 25 October 2023 and to those of 200 kW or less since 1 October 2024; battery systems do not need to be backstop enabled. These rules shape the size and the value of a system before any panel is chosen.

Five networks, five sets of demand rules

CitiPower, Powercor and United Energy put low-voltage sites using more than 160 MWh a year on large low-voltage tariffs: a rolling 12-month kVA demand measured 7am to 7pm on workdays, plus an incentive demand charge in four months of the year, set in one of three windows (1pm to 4pm or 4pm to 7pm on summer workdays, or 4pm to 7pm on winter workdays). Jemena uses 400 MWh a year or 120 kVA as its large-business boundary and adds a summer demand incentive charge from 4pm to 7pm. On AusNet, large sites are moving to critical peak demand tariffs, where two to five called summer days, measured 3pm to 7pm daylight time, set the demand charge for the following April to March. The network decides when a battery has to discharge.

Victorian Energy Upgrades discount on business solar

Victorian Energy Upgrades gives an upfront discount on rooftop solar of 30 kW to 200 kW at non-residential sites, with an inverter of at least 30 kVA, through an accredited provider engaged before the work starts. The certificate formula steps up above 100 kW, so the Victorian Government’s indicative discount, at a certificate price of $70, rises from $9,100 for 100 kW to $25,760 for 150 kW and $34,300 for 200 kW. Larger systems can earn certificates through the measurement and verification method, and the discount can be claimed alongside federal certificates where a system is eligible for both. The same program discounts heat pumps, air conditioning, cold rooms, refrigeration, motors and some lighting upgrades; it has no battery or demand-response activity.

Other state and council support

Solar Victoria’s Solar for Business program closed on 30 June 2023, and no other state grant for business solar or batteries is open. Within the City of Melbourne, the Retrofit Melbourne scheme reimburses half the cost of a first benchmark rating (up to $2,500) and of action planning (up to $7,500) for office buildings of 1,000 to 20,000 m² that are more than 15 years old and unrated or rated 4 NABERS stars or below, with implementation funding of up to $40,000 expected from 2027; it can be combined with Victorian Energy Upgrades. Victorian councils can also offer Environmental Upgrade Agreements under the Local Government Act 1989, a building-upgrade loan repaid through council rates; availability depends on the council.

Planning permits and overshadowing

Solar attached to a building that mainly serves that land needs no planning permit in Victoria unless the planning scheme specifically requires one, for example under a Heritage Overlay where solar controls apply and the panels are visible from a street (other than a lane) or public park. In the city centre, the City of Melbourne warns that new developments can overshadow existing or planned rooftop solar, and publishes guidance on checking what may be built nearby.

Melbourne is not one STC zone

Under the 2019 zone-ratings instrument most Melbourne postcodes are Zone 4 (rating 1.185), but several northern and north-western ranges, including 3036 to 3038, 3047 to 3049 and 3061 to 3064, are Zone 3 (1.382). The zone changes the certificates a system creates by about 17 per cent, so check the postcode before pricing.

Check shared-building arrangements

For a tenancy or embedded-network property, identify the billing boundary and installation permissions before allocating savings. Provide available roof and switchboard information, existing generation details and planned equipment changes.

Commercial solar in Melbourne: common questions

Compare the options for your site

Explore commercial solar, battery storage, intelligent control and EV charging, or read how they work together. For a starting estimate from your annual electricity use, try the solar sizing calculator.

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