The solar feed-in tariff is the rate your electricity retailer pays for excess solar power you export to the grid. In 2015, these rates were 20 cents per kWh or more in most states. In 2026, the standard rate across most of Australia sits between 3 and 8 cents per kWh — and some retailers have started offering zero.
Understanding the current tariff landscape, what is regulated versus what the market offers, and how to negotiate or switch to a better rate matters more than most solar households realise.
Feed-in tariffs reflect what retailers pay you for power they can then sell into the grid or on-sell to other customers. As solar penetration across Australia has increased, grid export supply at peak solar times (midday to 3pm on sunny days) has increased substantially. Wholesale electricity prices during these periods have dropped — sometimes to zero or below zero — because supply exceeds demand. Retailers who buy from you at a fixed tariff and sell into a near-zero market are paying more than the power is worth to them.
The result is a structural downward trend in feed-in tariff rates that is expected to continue as solar penetration increases further. This does not reduce the value of solar panels for self-consumption — power you use directly from your panels saves you the full retail electricity rate (currently 28 to 40 cents per kWh depending on state and retailer) rather than the export rate.
| State | Regulated minimum (c/kWh) | Best market offers (approx, c/kWh) |
|---|---|---|
| Victoria | 4.9 (peak) / 1.3 (off-peak) | 6–10 (time-varying tariffs) |
| NSW | No regulated minimum (retailer discretion) | 3–8 |
| Queensland | No state minimum; some retailers offer 0 | 5–8 (competitive retailers) |
| South Australia | No regulated minimum | 5–10 |
| Western Australia (Synergy) | 2.5 (Renewable Energy Buyback Scheme) | 2.5–7 (retailer add-ons) |
| ACT | No set minimum; competitive market | 5–8 |
These figures are indicative of the mid-2026 market. Rates change when energy market conditions shift and when retailers update their plans. The Energy Made Easy website (energymadeeasy.gov.au) for NSW, QLD, SA, and ACT, and the Victorian Energy Compare website for VIC, publish current retailer offers for your specific address.
Victoria's time-varying feed-in tariff structure pays more during peak demand periods (typically morning and evening) than at midday. If you have battery storage, charging from solar at midday and discharging or exporting during peak evening periods can significantly increase your effective export value.
In states without a legislated minimum feed-in tariff, retailers can legally offer zero cents per kWh for exports. Several Queensland and NSW retailers have introduced zero or near-zero export rates on their cheapest plans. If you are on a legacy plan and have not reviewed your tariff recently, check your electricity bill — look for "solar feed-in" or "export" credits and divide by the kWh exported to calculate your effective rate. Some households are receiving 2 to 3 cents per kWh without realising it because they have not reviewed their plan since original installation.
Compare solar plans explicitly. The government comparison websites (Energy Made Easy for most states, Victorian Energy Compare for VIC) allow you to filter for plans with solar feed-in tariffs and compare total annual bill cost for your usage and export profile. Enter your annual kWh consumption and your annual kWh export separately — the comparison will show the net difference between plans accounting for both the import rate you pay and the export rate you receive.
Negotiate on retention. If a competing retailer is offering a better feed-in tariff, call your current retailer and request a rate match. Retention teams have discretion to offer better terms that are not advertised on the standard plan menu. This works more often than most people expect, particularly if you have been a customer for several years.
Consider time-of-use tariffs with battery storage. Flat import/export tariffs are simple but not necessarily optimal for solar households with battery storage. Time-of-use tariffs pay more for exports during peak evening periods when grid demand is highest, which matches well with a battery that stores midday solar and dispatches in the evening.
At 3 to 6 cents per kWh export rate versus 30 to 38 cents per kWh avoided import cost, the financial value of solar power is almost entirely in self-consumption rather than export. Every kWh you consume directly from your panels saves you the full retail rate. Every kWh you export earns you 3 to 6 cents.
This changes the economics of: running appliances during peak solar hours (dishwasher, washing machine, EV charging during the day); battery storage to shift solar generation from peak midday to evening consumption; and water heater timers set to run during solar generation hours.
The feed-in tariff is not nothing — on a 6.6kW system exporting 10 kWh per day, even 5 cents per kWh earns $182 per year. But the primary value proposition of solar in 2026 is not selling power to the grid — it is not buying it in the first place.
Check whether you are on a competitive energy plan and how much the market offers in your state.
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