Moving house with solar on the roof leaves two questions: can I take my panels, and what happens to my STCs. They cover moving, selling and what a buyer expects, so here are the plain answers.
Can you take the panels?
Physically, yes. Legally it depends on the contract of sale. Panels and inverters bolted to a roof are normally treated as fixtures, which means they pass to the buyer unless the contract of sale expressly excludes them. If you want to keep them, say so in writing before the property is listed, and expect the buyer to want a discount or a replacement.
What about the STCs?
There are two separate things.
STCs already claimed. These were created when the system was installed and were normally sold, usually in exchange for your upfront discount. They do not travel with you or with the house.
New STCs at your new home. The Clean Energy Regulator’s rules do not allow STCs to be created for second-hand panels, and panels re-installed at a new property are treated as second-hand. At the time of writing, moving panels will not earn a new discount. New panels at the new address would be eligible, subject to the usual rules.
That is why many people leave the panels behind and buy a new system, with the STC discount applying to the full new capacity. See how that is calculated in how much STC discount you should get.
Cost of moving a system
Removal, transport, a licensed installer and re-commissioning cost money, and the new site may need a different layout, a new inverter and a new network approval. Panels also lose output with age, and the original warranty may be voided by relocation. Compared with a new system that comes with an upfront discount and a new warranty, relocation rarely pays unless the panels are quite new.
What this means for you
If you are selling, decide early whether the system stays. If you are moving into a new place, get a quote for new panels and use the STC calculator to see the discount. See also what happens when you sell a house with solar. Wider help on household incentives is in the homeowners guide. Installers who quote these jobs can learn how settlement works at STC trading and see current rates on pricing.
Renting and moving out
If you rent, the panels and any STCs belong to the owner who arranged the install, so there is nothing to take. If you own an investment property, the same applies: the system stays with the building, and a new tenant simply benefits from it.