Mid-scale solar
STCs for 100 kW to 1 MW. Settled in 24 hours.
From 1 October 2026 the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme covers mid-scale solar. A 500 kW roof that would have waited years for LGC income can now take an upfront certificate payment. We buy those certificates at a published rate, with no fees.
- 24h settlement
- $0 fees
- Rate locked on lodgement
What changed
The 100 kW ceiling is gone.
Until now a solar system above 100 kW was a power station in the eyes of the Renewable Energy Target. It had to be accredited, then create Large-scale Generation Certificates year by year as it generated, in a market where LGCs have been oversupplied and cheap. For a commercial customer that meant a long, uncertain income stream instead of a discount on the invoice.
In 2026 the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Regulations were amended so that eligible solar systems above 100 kW and up to 1 MW installed on or after 1 October 2026 create Small-scale Technology Certificates instead, with a fixed five-year deeming period. The certificates are created once, up front, and sold or assigned like any other STC. The Clean Energy Regulator has indicated applications open mid to late November 2026 while its systems catch up.
Below 100 kW nothing changes. Above 1 MW it remains LGC territory. Everything in between is a new market, and it is a large one: warehouses, schools, cold stores, shopping centres, farms.
The numbers
What a mid-scale system is worth in certificates
Same formula as small-scale: kW × zone rating × 5 years, rounded down. Zone 3 (Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra) shown; use the calculator for your postcode.
Today's rate $38.50 per STC. Indicative; the regulator's calculator and eligibility rules decide the final count. Open the STC calculator.
A 500 kW job is around 3,400 certificates. On a claim that size, the difference between a trader that settles in 24 hours and one that settles in a fortnight is the difference between paying your crew from the job and paying them from your overdraft.
The desk
For installers and EPCs
How to be ready on 1 October
Quote both paths until the rules land
Show the customer the STC upfront value and the LGC alternative. Mark the STC figure as subject to the regulator's final mid-scale rules and calculator.
Line up the evidence early
Accredited designer and installer, approved modules and inverters, DNSP approval, single line diagram, metering and network agreement, commissioning photos and serials. Commercial claims fail on paperwork more than on hardware.
Pick a buyer with capacity
Thousands of certificates per job need a desk that pre-checks before lodgement and pays on a published rate without a fee schedule. Ask any buyer to put the settlement time in writing.
Paid in 24 hours
Settled within 24 hours of sign-off. Money in your account tomorrow, not in ten business days.
Top-of-market rates
Published daily. The rate you see is the rate you get, locked the moment a complete claim is lodged.
Zero fees. Ever.
No processing fees, no admin fees, no registry fees. The rate card is the whole story.
A real person picks up
Call the desk and a human answers. Every partner gets a named account manager who knows their book.
Claims that don't bounce
Our compliance desk checks photos, forms and serials before anything is lodged, so problems get caught before they cost you time.
Perks that grow with you
Rate premiums, priority settlement and referral credits through the Partner Program. Loyalty should pay.
How it works
Four steps. Same desk. Bigger numbers.
- 01
Sign up in minutes
Tell us about your business and accreditation. We set you up, assign your account manager and send your rate card the same day.
- 02
Lodge the job
Upload the assignment form, compliance certificate and photos through your portal, or email them to the desk. Our checklist tells you exactly what we need.
- 03
We check and clear it
The compliance desk reviews every claim before it's lodged with the registry. If something's missing, we tell you straight away.
- 04
Paid within 24 hours
Once the claim is cleared, we pay. No invoices to chase, no waiting on the registry, no fees taken out.
Register interest
Doing commercial solar? Tell the desk.
We will send the mid-scale rate card, the evidence checklist as the regulator publishes it, and a named account manager before the first claims open in November.
Questions
Mid-scale STC questions
When do 100 kW to 1 MW systems start creating STCs?
What deeming period applies?
How many STCs would a 300 kW system create?
Can a system over 1 MW use STCs?
Do mid-scale systems need the same evidence as residential?
Will Energy Merchants buy mid-scale STCs?
Commercial roofs. Residential settlement speed.
Published rate, zero fees, compliance pre-check, paid within 24 hours for established partners.