Where to start
Solar in 2026 is won on self-consumption, not export
Australia has the highest rate of rooftop solar on earth and some of the cheapest panels, but most households still leave money on the table because they optimise the wrong thing. In 2026 the panel is a commodity, feed-in tariffs have collapsed, and the number that decides whether solar pays is how much of your own generation you use rather than export. Start by reading your actual roof below, then dig into the part you need: panels, batteries, rebates or running a specific load on the sun.
The one idea that ties it all together: a kilowatt-hour you use yourself is worth about 30 c, while the same kilowatt-hour exported now earns about 5 c. Every decision below, the panel size, the battery, the hot-water timer, the plan, comes down to using more of your own power. Get that right and the rest is detail.
The complete solar library
Explore every part of going solar
Independent, expert guides to each piece of the system, with live rooftop data and 2026 figures.
Panels & systems
Solar panels
Why the panel is the cheap part, and how to size an array around self-consumption.
Solar inverters
The part that fails first, string vs micro vs hybrid, and the 133% rule.
Solar roof tiles
Building-integrated solar: looks versus kilowatt-hours, and when it pays.
Solar for business
Why a 9-to-5 load makes commercial solar pay back in 3 to 5 years.
Batteries
Money & rebates
How solar actually pays in Australia
Three numbers that decide your result
Skip the brand wars. These are the levers that move your bill, each covered in depth in the guides above.
Self-consumption
The share of your solar you use rather than export. At ~30 c saved versus ~5 c earned, lifting this is the single biggest lever, worth more than any premium panel or feed-in rate.
The rebates
The STC discount still takes about $1,710 off a 6.6 kW system, and the Cheaper Home Batteries rebate (~$245/kWh) makes storage viable. Both shrink over time, so timing matters.
The right size
Size panels to your daytime load with room to spare, and a battery to your evening load, not to backup days. Capacity you never use earns nothing.
Common questions
A Selectra expert answers your solar questions
For most homes with a sunny roof and daytime usage, yes. Panels are cheap, the federal STC rebate still knocks roughly $1,710 off a 6.6 kW system, and a self-consumed kilowatt-hour offsets your full usage rate of about 30 c. The catch is that exports now earn only a few cents, so the payback depends on using your own power rather than selling it. Read your roof above, then size a system around your daytime load.
After the STC rebate, quality systems install for roughly $0.90 to $0.95 per watt. That puts a common 6.6 kW system around $5,000 to $6,500 and a 10 kW system around $8,000 to $10,000. Because the panels are the cheapest part, oversizing the array is standard. See the solar panels guide for the detail.
Only once you have surplus solar to store and the size is right. A battery shifts a 5 c export into a 30 c saving, so it earns roughly 25 c per cycled kilowatt-hour. With the federal Cheaper Home Batteries rebate from 1 May 2026, a right-sized battery can pay back in single-digit years, but oversizing rarely pays. Use the battery storage calculator to test options for your home.
The main rebate is the federal STC discount on panels, plus the Cheaper Home Batteries rebate on storage. Feed-in tariffs vary by state and have largely collapsed: there is no mandated minimum in Victoria or New South Wales, and many midday rates sit near zero. The rebate and feed-in tariff guides cover the current figures state by state.
Yes, in Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, Queensland and the ACT you can choose your retailer and compare solar-specific plans. In Western Australia (Synergy) and the Northern Territory (Power and Water) there is no retail competition, so the buyback is set by the state scheme. Wherever you are, the plan that suited you before solar is rarely the best one after.