Installers rarely read legislation, and rarely need to. But when a trader, a customer or an auditor says “that is not allowed”, the answer sits in one of three places.
The Act
The Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act 2000 is the foundation. It establishes the Renewable Energy Target, sets out who can create certificates, defines liable entities and gives the Clean Energy Regulator its powers: accrediting power stations, registering persons, auditing claims and enforcing the scheme. When people search for “Renewable Energy Electricity Act 2000 STCs” they want this one. Companion Acts set the shortfall charge a liable entity pays when it falls short of its obligation.
The Regulations
The Renewable Energy (Electricity) Regulations 2001 hold the detail an installer actually feels. They define small generation units and solar water heaters, set the deeming periods and zone ratings used in the STC formula, the clearing house price, and rules about eligible products and installation. When the rules changed so that systems above 100 kW and up to 1 MW installed from 1 October 2026 create STCs with a fixed five-year deeming period, the change was made by amending these Regulations. See mid-scale solar STCs.
Batteries were added through the same instrument family: the Cheaper Home Batteries Program, from 1 July 2025, uses the Regulations to define battery eligibility, the factor schedule and the tiers.
Guidelines and standards
Alongside the law sit CER guidance (installer and agent guidelines, photo evidence rules, audit procedures) and Australian standards, such as AS/NZS 5139 for battery installation and AS/NZS 4777.2 for inverters. They are not legislation, but breaching them can mean a claim is rejected or a CEC listing is lost. See STC photo requirements and how STC audits work.
Reading it sensibly
You do not need to read statute to run a clean book. Know these points: the owner of the system holds the right to create STCs until they assign it; the installer must meet accreditation and standard requirements; and a system must use approved products. The statement an installer signs on a claim is a legal declaration. If the details are wrong, the CER can take certificates back.
What this means for installers
Treat the CER as your day-to-day reference and the Act and Regulations as the tiebreaker. Our compliance desk reads claims against the current rules before lodgement; see how it works. For the regulator’s role, see who regulates the SRES, and for the 2026 changes, the regulatory summary. The STC trading pillar covers the commercial side.