Solar retailer

Written and checked by the Energy Merchants desk · Reviewed 3 October 2026

A solar retailer is the business that sells a system to a customer. It writes the quote, signs the contract and usually takes the customer’s STCs by assignment, reducing the price in return.

Roles in the chain

On a typical job, several roles meet. The retailer sells. The installer installs. The registered agent or trader lodges the STCs. In a small business, one party may fill all three. In a larger one, they can be separate companies. The paperwork must still name each role correctly.

In practice

The retailer carries the commercial risk. It has promised the customer a discounted price based on the STC value, so if the claim fails or the market price falls, the retailer absorbs the difference. That is why retailers care about settlement speed and rate certainty. Energy Merchants publishes the rate daily and locks it on lodgement of a complete claim, so the retailer can price the discount knowing what it will receive. See pricing.

Consumer law applies to the sale. Quotes should state the gross cost, the STC discount and the net cost clearly. See gross cost and net cost.

Worked example

A retailer quotes a 6.6 kW system at a gross price of $7,500 and shows a STC discount of $1,700, so the customer pays $5,800. When the 45 STCs are settled, the retailer receives the money to cover the discount.

Common confusion

A solar retailer is not an electricity retailer. The electricity retailer sells power and has the legal obligation to buy certificates. See liable entity. The solar retailer sells hardware and installation services. The words overlap, and customers mix them up.

See choosing a certificate trader, STC trading and the glossary.