VEU Program Solar Rebate For Victoria Businesses in 2026

The Government of Victoria introduced a new upfront solar rebate for businesses on 29 September 2025 under its flagship Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) program.

The solar upgrades for commercial and industrial buildings have been introduced under Part 47 of the Victorian Energy Efficiency Target (VEET) Regulations 2018.  

This incentive aims to accelerate the adoption of green energy solutions among commercial and industrial (C&I) units in Victoria state. 

While more than 800,000 solar PV systems have already been installed across Victorian households and small businesses, solar energy uptake among large commercial and industrial entities have remained relatively modest due to higher capital costs.

The commercial and industrial units in Victoria now can apply for discounted solar systems ranging from 30 kW to 200 kW capacity. 

Solar upgrade for Victoria businesses under VEU program

The installation of commercial and industrial solar PV systems fall under Part 47 of Schedule 2 of Victorian Energy Upgrades Specification 2018 version 21.0. The solar installation under Part 47 are divided into two categories: 

Commercial & Industrial (C&I) solar upgrade activity was added to the VEU Program by the Department of Energy, Environment & Climate Action of the Victoria state government. 

As part of the VEU Specifications, the Department has published detailed requirements for solar systems (panels and inverters), pre-installation conditions, and installation requirements.  

The C&I solar upgrades fall into two categories: 

Activity 47A: This involves the installation of commercial/industrial solar systems with solar PV modules of a minimum size of 30kW, and a maximum size of 100kW.  The solar system must:

• • Be connected to an electricity distribution network.
  • Be installed in compliance with the DNSP (Distribution Network Service Provider) contract. 
  • Either it is new installation or alternation (meeting the minimum 30kW and maximum 100kW limit). 
  • Have solar panels that are listed on the CEC’s approved solar PV modules list and its manufacturer must be listed by the Clean Energy Regulator as a member of Solar Panel Validation (SPV) initiative.
  • Have CEC approved inverters. 
  • Have an inverter capacity of at least 30kVA.

Activity 47B: Commercial and industrial solar installations involving solar systems of solar PV module size equal to or greater than 100kW and up to 200kW. The solar system must: 

• • Be connected to an electricity distribution network.
  • Be installed in compliance with the DNSP (Distribution Network Service Provider) contract. 
  • Either be new installation or alternation (meeting the minimum 100kW and maximum 200kW limit). 
  • Have solar panels that are listed on the CEC’s approved solar PV modules list and its manufacturer must be listed by the Clean Energy Regulator as a member of Solar Panel Validation (SPV) initiative.
  • Have CEC approved inverters. 

Eligibility 

To qualify for the solar system discounts for Victoria businesses, the following VEU program regulations/requirements must be met: 

• Installation must take place in a grid connected commercial premises. Class 2 buildings (apartment/flats or multi-unit residential buildings) are not eligible for commercial solar rebates under the VEU program. 
• The solar PV system installation must be carried out by an accredited business under the VEU program. 
• The installer must hold Solar Accreditation Australia (SAA) certification.
• All electrical work must be performed by an Energy Safe Victoria licensed A-grade electrician.
• Solar system should be connected to national electricity grid
• The installation is in line with the relevant Distribution Network Service Provider’s (electricity distributor) contract/guidelines.
• One solar system is installed per electricity connection (or National Metering Identifier). 
• Solar energy production and usage monitoring portal or app should be provided to the end user. 

In commercial premises, the solar PV modules can be installed on rooftops, outdoor structures (installed as solar canopies or solar shades on parking lots, EV charging stations etc. ), and floating structures (floating solar farms or floatovoltaics).  Floatovoltaics involves installation of solar panels on lakes, reservoirs and dams. 

In addition to the above eligibility conditions, the Victorian Government (through VEU regulations) has mandated the following solar panels and inverter unit requirement for rebate eligibility: 

• The solar system size must be between 30 to 200kw 
• The solar PV system must support performance, energy production and consumption tracking through a portal or smartphone application. 
• The PV modules must be listed among the 3000 CEC (Clean Energy Council) approved solar modules
• The inverter should be at least 30kva power rating (if the solar panels’ capacity is between 30 to 100kW max) and listed on CEC approved solar inverter list.
• Solar panels must be covered by 10 years (from the date of installation/purchase/supply) warranty against defects. 
• Solar inverters must be covered by 5 years (from the date of installation/purchase/supply) warranty against defects.   
• The accredited business carrying out the installation must size the solar system in accordance with Solar Accreditation Australia requirements.

Among others, the following commercial units are eligible for commercial solar VEU scheme discounts:

• Factories
• Warehouses
• Cafés 
• Aged care facilities 
• Hospitals
• Community buildings
• Universities and collages  
• Schools
• Offices 
• Government buildings  
• Food processing units

The above commercial entities are also eligible to apply for battery (of size up to 100kwh) rebate under the Cheaper Home Batteries Program. 

Who can perform solar system installation? 

To qualify for upfront discounts on solar systems under the VEU program, the planning, design, and installation must be undertaken by a Solar Accreditation Australia (SAA) accredited solar system designer and installer.

A solar system designer must have an SAA accreditation in “Grid Connected PV (GCPV) Design” or “GCPV Design & Installation”. A SAA accredited solar installer must hold accreditation either in “GCPV Installation” or “GCPV Design and Installation”. 

The solar system designer will be responsible for: 

• Planning and designing the solar PV system layout as per site requirement.  
• Ensuring that the installed solar system complies with relevant Australian standards and energy grid requirements, such as AS/NZS 3000 (Wiring Rules), AS/NZS 5033:2021 (Installation and safety requirements for solar PV modules), and AS/NZS 4777.1:2024 & AS/NZS 4777.2:2020 (Grid connection via inverters).
• Ensuring that the selected solar modules and inverters are CEC approved. 
• Producing documentation to support system performance, safety, and compliance under VEU program specifications and VEET regulations. 

In addition to the GCPV Installation accreditation, a solar system installer must have undergone the following training program conducted by Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) accredited institute: 

• VU23631: Work safely on roofs with renewable energy systems, or VU22744: Work Safely in the Solar industry.
• CPCWHS1001 Prepare to work safely in the construction industry or CPCCWHS1001 Prepare to work safely in the construction industry.

All electrical work involved in installation of solar system and decommission/removal of existing solar system must be carried out by a licensed A grade electrician.  

When a business reach out to an SAA accredited solar system designer and installer for a quote, the accredited provider must share: 

• Complete solar system specifications (number, size, brand and model of all components i.e. solar modules, inverters, batteries etc.)
• Detail of warranties (product and installation) 
• Written advice regarding applicable feed-in tariffs
• expected system performance, including estimated energy production, energy cost savings, and payback period. 
• Total price of the solar system, including a detailed breakdown of all costs involved. 
• Installation details including timeline and person responsible for obtaining permits.
• A list of what is and isn’t included in the quote.
• A visual representation (a PDF or PPT) showing the proposed solar panel system layout and design.

After installation, the SAA accredited provider must share a valid tax invoice having the following details: 

• The name, address, and Australian Business Number (ABN) of the installer
• The name, address, and Australian Business Number (ABN) of the business (the consumer) 
• Date of issue of the invoice
• The address where solar system installation was done. 
• The brand and model of all installed solar PV modules (including quantity)
• The brand and model of all installed solar inverters (including quantity)
• The brand and model of all installed solar batteries (including quantity), if batteries are installed.
• The price of the system installed (before VEU solar rebate is applied)
• The VEU scheme discount and other incentives (for example, STCs) if applied. 
• The amount paid by the business (after VEU program solar rebate and other incentives are applied).

Upgrade types

The following three types of solar upgrades at non-residential properties can be eligible for upfront discounts under activities 47A and 47B of VEU scheme: 

1. The installation of a new solar system on a site that previously did not have a solar system. 
2. Discommissing or removal of existing solar panels and inverters and installation of a new solar system as replacement. 
3. New solar PV modules and inverters are added to an existing solar system.   

Advantages of solar PV system for businesses

• Significant reduction in operating cost 
• Lower carbon emissions
• Lower energy bills
• Better business cash flow 
• Support for corporate sustainability goals
• Reduced dependency on grid electricity
• Energy independence 
• Boost brand value through green business credentials

What rebate is being offered on solar systems? 

Here is an average upfront discount you can expect to receive (based on Victorian Energy Efficiency Certificates or VEEC price of $70):

The price of VEECs varies as per energy market demand/supply, and there are several factors that will determine the final upfront discounts offered by an accredited business on commercial/industrial solar system, such as:

• Solar PV module size.
• Selected solar PV module and inverter brand
• Stacking VEU solar rebates with other state/federal government rebates
• Installation costs
• Administrative and rebate application cost incurred by accredited business. 
• Location of installation

Stacking VEU Commercial solar rebates with SRES

VEU commercial and industrial solar rebates can be combined with solar rebates under the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES). The SRES program allows accredited businesses to offer Small-scale Technology Certificates (STCs) upfront, further reducing retail cost of a solar system. 

The amount of incentive depends on the number of small-scale technology certificates (STCs) that can be assigned to the installed solar system. The number of STCs created through solar energy system installation depends on:

• Location of installation/replacement 
• Installation date 
• Electricity generation over the deeming period. The deeming period (in years) for rooftop solar PV systems depends on the year of solar system installation. 

Combining the VEEC certificates generated under VEU solar rebates and STCs of the SRES program can slash solar system installation costs by up to 35% for systems sized between 30 kW and 200 kW.

What energy bill saving businesses can expect?

A Victorian business installing a 200kw solar PV unit will be able to generate about 600 kwh of solar energy in a day, equating to annual savings of $64,000–$68,000 on electricity costs.

Here are some examples of savings on energy bills after solar PV installation: 

• Rochford Wines is a well-known winery, restaurant chain and bar located in Yarra Valley region of Victoria, received annual electricity bill savings of $22,000 after installing 99kw solar PV modules.  
• Texas Peak Pty Ltd, a distributor of athletic products in Tullamarine  installed a 100 kilowatt solar system in 2021. With a 5-year payback period, the company has now cut their energy bills from $50,000 to $30,000.