Products leave the Clean Energy Council list for several reasons: the approval period lapses and is not renewed, the manufacturer withdraws the model, or the CEC removes it after a compliance issue. Industry reporting has described hundreds of panel models dropped at once, so this is not a rare event.
Which date applies: install or claim
The rule installers work to is that the panels and inverters must be on the CEC approved list on the date of installation. It is not the date the sales contract was signed, and it is not the date you create or lodge the claim. If the product was listed on the install date, a later delisting does not retrospectively undo the system’s eligibility under that rule.
STCs must still be created within the scheme’s time limit after installation, so a long delay is its own risk.
Panel delisted: what to do
- Open the CEC panel list and find the exact model.
- Read the approval dates, not just the word “approved”.
- Compare them with the installation date on your documents.
- Save a dated screenshot to the job file.
If the date falls inside the approval window, proceed. If the installation date is after the listing ended, the system is likely not eligible for STCs and you should talk to the regulator before lodging anything.
Inverter delisted
The test is identical. The practical difference is that inverters tend to be swapped between quote and install when stock changes, so confirm the model that actually went on the wall, from the serial label photo.
Product approval expiry and your claim date
An approval expiry date is the end of the window in which installations count. Installing on the last day is fine; installing the day after is not. Stock bought months earlier is the usual trap: a pallet of panels purchased on a valid listing may be installed after it lapses.
What this means for installers
Make the listing date part of your pre-install checklist and your claim file. If a distributor tells you a product is “still fine”, ask for the listing date in writing. If a claim is audited, how STC audits work shows what the regulator asks for.
What this means for homeowners
If you bought a system whose panel has since been delisted, you do not usually need to act. Your installer should hold the evidence it was listed when installed. If you are shopping now, ask for the live listing date.
For the broader picture see STC trading. If you want a trader to pre-check product and photos before lodgement, see how it works; rates are on pricing.