Mobile, transportable and cabin-style dwellings blur the line between a building and a vehicle. For STCs, the test is whether the solar system is a fixed, installed generating system at a defined site, not whether the home could be moved one day.
Transportable homes and cabins
A transportable home placed on a slab or piers is treated like any other dwelling once it is fixed to its site. A cabin on a rural block is the same, whether grid-connected or off-grid. An accredited installer fits CEC-approved panels and an approved inverter, the owner assigns the STCs, and the usual formula applies: kW x zone rating x deeming years. A 3 kW system on a cabin in Cairns (zone 3) installed in 2026 creates 3 x 1.382 x 5 = 20 STCs. See the STC calculator.
Make sure the address on the claim is one that the registry and the photos can support. Remote blocks may only have a lot and plan reference, which you should include on the paperwork.
Mobile homes and caravans
A solar kit fitted to a caravan, motorhome or similar vehicle is not a fixed installation at a fixed address, and these kits generally fall outside the scheme. Do not promise an STC discount on a vehicle-mounted system. Where a mobile home is semi-permanent, for example in a land-lease park with the dwelling fixed to a site, confirm the position with the Clean Energy Regulator before quoting.
Caravan parks and holiday parks
A caravan park is a commercial site with multiple buildings: amenities blocks, a camp kitchen, a reception and sometimes cabins. Solar there is a commercial system and follows the rules in commercial solar under 100 kW. The owner is the park operator, who assigns the STCs. If the park is run by a lessee, the land owner’s consent and the ownership of the panels need to be documented. Systems above 100 kW fall under the mid-scale extension from 1 October 2026; see mid-scale solar STCs.
Off-grid and stand-alone
Many cabins and remote parks run off-grid. Solar on an off-grid site can still earn STCs, and batteries on stand-alone systems have their own rules; see stand-alone power system battery STCs.
What this means for installers
The most common problems are ownership and address. Record who owns the panels and the dwelling, and get a clear site description. Take photos that show the system fixed to the structure and the structure fixed to the site, which helps to demonstrate permanence if the claim is audited.
For the claim process, see how it works and STC trading.