Australia's Solar & Battery Rebates Explained (2026 - 2030): Deadlines, Reductions & Savings

The federal rebates for solar panels and batteries in Australia are scheduled to end at different times. Solar panels: The Small-scale Technology Certificate (STC) scheme for solar panels will end on 31 December 2030.

However, the rebate value decreases annually – systems installed in 2030 will only receive certificates for one year of generation, making the rebate minimal by that point.

Batteries: The Cheaper Home Batteries Program rebate is also scheduled to end on 31 December 2030.

The battery rebate went through significant changes on 1 May 2026, introducing a tiered structure based on battery size and shifting to biannual reductions instead of annual decreases.

How the rebates decrease

The STC scheme operates on a “deeming period” that counts down the years remaining until 2030. For solar panels installed in 2026, you receive STCs for approximately 5 years of expected generation (2026-2030), but in 2027 this drops to 4 years, and so on.

This means the rebate value decreases each year even though the scheme technically runs until 2030.

For batteries, the value reduces every six months from May 2026 onwards. The tiered structure now applies different STC factors: 100% for the first 14 kWh, 60% for 14-28 kWh, and 15% for 28-50 kWh.

By 2030, the battery rebate will drop to approximately $188 per kWh compared to around $372 per kWh in 2025.

Both rebates gradually phase out to align with falling technology costs and encourage adoption before the schemes conclude entirely at the end of 2030.