To become a solar installer in Australia you first need to be a licensed electrician, then complete solar-specific training, then obtain accreditation from Solar Accreditation Australia (SAA), hold the required insurance and safety certification, and keep up your training points each year. Only then can the systems you install create STCs, which is what funds the discount customers expect. Skip any step and the claim fails.
This guide walks through the sequence, the realistic timeline and cost areas, and what to set up before your first job so you are paid when you expect to be. The rules and fees change, so treat the official sources, SAA and your state electrical regulator, as the authority and this page as the map.
Step 1: Become a licensed electrician
The legal foundation is an electrical licence in the state or territory where you will work. The usual path is a Certificate III in Electrotechnology and an apprenticeship of around four years, followed by an electrical licence application. There is no shortcut around this for solar work that connects to a building’s wiring. See our answer on whether electricians need solar accreditation.
Step 2: Complete solar training
Solar-specific units, delivered by a registered training organisation, cover design, installation standards and safety. They are often part of a Certificate III or IV in Electrotechnology or a standalone course. SAA publishes which courses it accepts. Choose a course on SAA’s list, not simply the cheapest.
Step 3: Meet the accreditation requirements
SAA, which took over the Clean Energy Council’s installer accreditation program in mid-2024, assesses applicants on a set of requirements. At the time of writing these include:
- a current, unrestricted electrical licence;
- approved solar training;
- public liability insurance;
- a current working-safely-at-heights certificate;
- ongoing professional development, with a points requirement over each 12-month period.
Confirm the current list and fees on the SAA website. Our answers on how to apply for accreditation and SAA accreditation give the outline.
Step 4: Add battery accreditation if you want it
Batteries require additional competence and, for the Cheaper Home Batteries Program, an accredited installer. The program also requires a CEC-approved, VPP-capable battery. If you plan to install batteries, check SAA’s battery requirements and our answers on battery installer accreditation and AS/NZS 5139.
Step 5: Set up your business
- ABN and insurance. Business structure, public liability and any other cover your state requires.
- Supplier relationships. Approved panels, inverters and batteries only.
- Quote and contract templates. With a clear assignment of STCs, installation date and warranty terms.
- A trader or registered agent for STCs. Someone to turn certificates into cash.
Step 6: Know the claim process before job one
An accredited installer’s job does not end at commissioning. The paperwork decides whether certificates can be created and sold. For each job you will need:
- The signed assignment form. See the STC assignment form guide.
- Photos that meet the regulator’s requirements. See the photo requirements.
- The installation type classified correctly. See new, replacement or additional.
- Your accreditation details and the equipment serial numbers.
- Compliance documents for the electrical work.
Learn the top rejection reasons before your first claim, not after.
Timeline and cost, in outline
| Stage | Typical duration | Cost areas |
|---|---|---|
| Apprenticeship and licence | Around four years | Training, wages in the apprenticeship |
| Solar training | Weeks to months | Course fees |
| SAA application | Weeks | Application and annual fees |
| Insurance and safety certificates | Days to weeks | Premiums and course fees |
| Business set-up | Weeks | Registration, tools, vehicle, systems |
We do not give dollar figures because they change and vary by provider. Get written fee schedules from each.
A worked example of first-year cash flow
You install 12 systems in your first quarter. Each earns about 45 STCs (a 6.6 kW system in Zone 3 in 2026). That is 540 certificates, worth about $20,500 at $38. You have already paid for panels, inverters and labour. If your trader pays in 3 days you wait a few days for that cash; if you sell into the clearing house you may wait weeks. A new business needs working capital to cover the gap, so plan for it before you buy stock.
Common mistakes new installers make
Treating accreditation as a one-off. It requires ongoing training points and renewal. Put the date in your calendar and log points as you earn them, because a lapse can make recent installs ineligible for certificates.
Underestimating site attendance rules. The Clean Energy Regulator has requirements about who must be on site and who must supervise work. If you employ labourers or apprentices, read the attendance requirements answer before you roster a job.
Buying unapproved equipment. A cheap panel or inverter that is not on the approved list earns no certificates. Check the list on the day you order and again on the day you install.
Leaving the claim to later. Evidence is easiest to collect on site. Photos taken a week later from memory are rarely good enough.
Having no plan for cash. Many first-year installers are profitable on paper and short of cash, because certificates arrive after costs are paid.
Finding your first customers
New installers often start by working for an established business, which gives them site experience, supplier contacts and a feel for the paperwork before they put their own name on a claim. Some then move to subcontracting for retailers, and later to running their own jobs. Whichever route you take, remember that your accreditation number is on every claim, so your record follows you.
The scheme is declining: plan for it
The deeming period shortens each January and the scheme ends on 31 December 2030, so the certificate value per job falls every year. If you are starting now, build a business that does not rely on the certificate alone: batteries, hot water, service and upgrades. See what happens to installers when the scheme ends.
What to do next
- Confirm your electrical licence pathway with your state regulator.
- Check SAA’s current requirements and course list.
- Line up a trading partner before your first job: see start trading, how it works and the resources library.
- Read the STC trading pillar for the settlement basics.