Commercial solar cost in Australia (2026): prices from 10 kW to 1 MW

Commercial solar is priced per kilowatt (kW) of panels, but the number on a quote depends on far more than size. This guide gives the best public price data available, explains what it leaves out, and sets out what moves the cost for the larger systems that don’t have a public table. For what the savings look like, see is commercial solar worth it.

How much does a commercial solar system cost?

The most detailed public figures come from Solar Choice’s September 2026 price survey of commercial systems. Solar Choice is a commercial comparison and tender service, not a government source, so treat the numbers as a market snapshot rather than a benchmark. The prices are what a business pays in total, installed, after small-scale technology certificates (STCs) are taken off, including GST.

Dividing the all-cities totals by system size gives roughly $1,011 per kW at 10 kW, $945 at 30 kW, $963 at 50 kW, $909 at 70 kW and $816 at 100 kW. These per-kW figures are our arithmetic from the table, not figures Solar Choice publishes. The pattern is the useful part: the fixed costs of design, approvals and mobilising a crew are spread over more panels as systems grow.

Darwin isn’t in the survey, and the city gaps are small enough that one or two quotes in a city can move an average. Use the table to sense-check a quote, not to predict one.

What does the survey price leave out?

Solar Choice states that its prices include STCs and GST but not meter installation fees or extras such as ground-mounting, grid protection and grid connection studies. Each of these can matter on a commercial site:

• Metering: a new or upgraded meter, if your retailer or network requires one for the new arrangement.
• Ground-mounting: a ground-mounted array needs frames, footings and often fencing and cabling, which a roof system doesn’t.
• Grid protection: equipment that disconnects your system from the grid when it needs to. Your network says whether and what it requires.
• Grid connection studies: engineering work the network may ask for before approving a larger system.

What does a system over 100 kW cost?

No public price table covers systems above 100 kW, and Solar Choice’s survey stops there. Anyone quoting you a per-kW rate for a 500 kW roof without seeing the site is guessing. Our commercial solar calculator holds the price for larger systems at about $1,000 per kW before certificates as a placeholder only, and lets you replace it with your quotes. The 200 kW, 500 kW and 1 MW pages show the same estimates: 200 kW, 500 kW and 1 MW.

What drives the cost of a larger system?

Beyond panel count, the same handful of site factors tend to decide whether a quote is lean or expensive:

• Roof type and condition: a sound metal or concrete roof is quicker and cheaper to fit than one needing repairs, reinforcement or an engineer’s structural report.
• Switchboard and electrical upgrades: older boards may need replacing or extending to take the new supply safely.
• Protection and export limits: the network can require protection equipment, and may cap how much you can export, which can mean adding control equipment.
• Network studies and approvals: larger connections generally need more engineering evidence and take longer, and the cost depends on your network. See grid connection for commercial solar.
• Cranes, access and safety: getting panels onto a high or fragile roof can add scaffolding, edge protection, crane hire and extra labour.
• Monitoring and metering: sub-metering and software that shows output and use, which many businesses want for reporting.

Our guide to commercial solar grid connection covers the approvals side in more detail, and how to choose a commercial solar installer covers the questions to ask.

How do mid-scale STCs lower the cost?

Until now, only systems up to 100 kW could create STCs. The Clean Energy Regulator’s mid-scale solar page says the scheme now covers systems between 100 kW and 1 MW, with a fixed 5-year deeming period. Its transitional guidance for mid-scale systems says eligibility depends on the date the system is installed, meaning when it is first capable of producing and delivering electricity, which must be on or after 1 October 2026.

A certificate is worth one STC each, and the number depends on the system’s size, its solar zone and the deeming years. Under the standard method, a zone 3 system earns 1.382 certificates per kW for each deeming year; your zone comes from the Clean Energy Regulator’s postcode zone ratings. Because mid-scale systems get a fixed five years, a 200 kW system in zone 3 earns about 200 × 1.382 × 5 = 1,382 certificates. Our estimates use this method. The Clean Energy Regulator’s own mid-scale calculator is the one that counts for a real project.

The $35 is an assumption near the middle of the $33 to $38 that the Clean Energy Regulator says agents usually pay per certificate. It also notes that the clearing house price is $40 excluding GST, while the open market price changes daily. Your installer or agent sets the price you get. Small-scale systems lose a deeming year each January until the scheme ends in 2030, which is why the 2027 line is lower. Mid-scale systems don’t, so a larger system can be less sensitive to timing.

The certificate rules, the evidence the Regulator expects and the choice between STCs and other certificate types are covered in mid-scale solar STCs explained.

How should I compare commercial solar quotes?

• Ask for the price before and after certificates, and the number of certificates and price per certificate on separate lines.
• Confirm whether the price is with or without GST, and whether your business can claim it back. Your accountant can say.
• Get a list of what’s excluded: metering, protection, studies, scaffolding or crane hire, ground-mounting, switchboard work.
• Compare equal systems: panel wattage, inverter brand and warranty terms, not just kW.
• Check the installer’s accreditation before comparing prices.

Not sure which size to look at? Our pages for 30 kW, 50 kW and 100 kW systems show typical roof space, output and example results.

This guide is general information, not financial or legal advice. Rules, rebates and prices change, so check the linked sources before you decide. Facts checked 31 October 2026.