Commercial solar installation in Sydney

Two distributors serve metro Sydney

The Australian Energy Regulator lists Ausgrid for inner, northern and eastern Sydney, and Endeavour Energy for Greater Western Sydney. Their connection processes and tariffs differ, so a warehouse in Penrith and an office in Chatswood start from different rules. Read the distributor and connection details from the site’s records before modelling anything.

Connection categories set the timeline

Ausgrid automatically approves complying systems up to 30 kW. Above that it has separate categories for systems that limit export to 30 kW across the site, systems up to 200 kVA that export more, and systems from 200 kW to 1 MW, which it lists at 24 business days. Ausgrid also lets a site choose a flexible export connection or a fixed one. Endeavour fast-tracks three-phase systems under 30 kW and gives larger generators a detailed assessment.

Tariffs reward the right export window

Ausgrid groups large business tariffs by annual consumption: EA302 for 100 to 160 MWh, EA305 for 160 to 750 MWh and EA310 above that, with a large business flexible load trial tariff (EA905) from 2026–27. Endeavour places low-voltage business sites using more than 160 MWh a year on its kVA demand tariff, N19, once the metering and consumption history are in place, with a 4pm to 8pm business-day peak and a higher demand charge from November to March. N19 has no export price. Smaller Endeavour sites on its two-way tariff pay 1.86 cents per kWh, excluding GST, for exports between 10am and 2pm above 2,920 kWh a year, and earn a credit for exports between 4pm and 8pm on business days. Either way, a battery that moves midday solar into the late afternoon is working with the network’s price signal.

The NSW business battery discount

The NSW Peak Demand Reduction Scheme gives businesses a discount on batteries commissioned from 1 September 2026, usually applied upfront in the quote by an Accredited Certificate Provider, although larger batteries may need different financial arrangements; the paperwork is signed before installation. Batteries over 20 kWh and up to 200 kWh need a customer payment of at least $5,000 excluding GST; larger batteries, up to 30,000 kWh, need none, and earn certificates on their first 10,000 kWh. The battery must be internet-connectable and controllable by a demand response aggregator, but joining a virtual power plant is not required, and the discount may be higher when the battery goes in within 90 days of new solar. The NSW Government’s indicative figure is about 30 to 40 per cent off the cost of installing the battery when it goes in with new or additional solar, or 20 to 30 per cent for a battery alone, and it can be combined with the federal certificates where the system is eligible for both.

Energy Savings Scheme upgrades in the same project

Rooftop solar is not eligible under the NSW Energy Savings Scheme, but equipment that often goes in alongside it can be: heat pump water heaters, air conditioners of 30 kW and more at large business sites, high-efficiency motors, refrigeration and power factor correction to at least 0.9 lagging. From 1 January 2027 the confidence factor for heat pump water heaters of 10 kW and above falls from 1 to 0.7, so a project completed in 2026 earns more certificates. As with the battery discount, the provider has to be engaged before the work is committed.

Planning rules and City of Sydney programs

Roof-mounted solar on a commercial building is exempt development in NSW, and the planning policy sets no kilowatt limit for it, provided it meets the structural, protrusion and heritage conditions. A battery that stores only on-site solar is exempt up to 20 kWh and, outside residential zones, can be complying development up to 200 kWh; a larger battery, or one that also charges from the grid, needs development consent. In the City of Sydney, development applications lodged from 1 January 2026 for offices of 1,000 m² or more, hotels of 100 rooms or more and shopping centres of 5,000 m² or more must achieve net zero emissions from energy used on-site, through renewable energy generated on site and renewable energy bought from off-site sources for at least five years. The City’s green building grants fund ratings, assessments and upgrade support for commercial buildings more than 10 years old, up to $50,000 a project with at most $10,000 for capital works, and reopen in July 2027, and its CitySwitch program supports office-based businesses free of charge.

Keep access and approvals in the scope

Provide roof information, electrical drawings and any restrictions on shutdowns or delivery access. For a leased warehouse or mixed-use building, establish who pays the bill, who controls the equipment and who can authorise installation. Savings and export assumptions should remain conditional on the verified tariff and connection outcome.

Commercial solar in Sydney: common questions

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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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