In short
- Queensland pumps get strong sun and a longer season than the southern states, and in the Burdekin they pump most of the year, which lifts self-use.
- Outside the south-east the network is Ergon Energy, with its own connection rules and rural export limits, and the feed-in rate is regulated rather than set by the retailer.
- No state solar rebate. Irrigation loads are often on their own tariff, so the rate the solar saves is the one on that meter's bill.
Yes, solar pays on most Queensland irrigation sites in 2026, and the state's long season and strong sun make the case easier than in the south, as long as the system is sized to the pump and to Ergon's export limit on the line. On the Darling Downs and in the Lockyer Valley the season runs spring to autumn; in the Burdekin, sugar cane is irrigated for most of the year. This page covers what changes for a Queensland site. The general case is on solar for irrigation.
| Quick facts | Irrigation solar in Queensland |
|---|---|
| Regions | Darling Downs (Dalby, St George), Lockyer Valley (Gatton), Burdekin (Ayr, Home Hill), Bundaberg, Emerald, Mareeba |
| Distributor | Ergon Energy in regional Queensland; Energex in the south-east |
| STC zone | Zone 3, rating 1.382 for Brisbane; northern and western postcodes to confirm, some are zone 2 or 1 |
| State help | No state rebate; regulated feed-in rate outside the south-east |
| Export value | low, often capped on rural feeders; size to the pump |
| What to send | one recent bill for each pump meter; we get the interval data from it |
What's different in Queensland?
1. Ergon Energy and the rural export limit
Energex covers Brisbane and the south-east, including most of the Lockyer Valley. Everywhere else is Ergon Energy, and the rules differ, so a site on the Darling Downs or in the Burdekin needs checking separately. Ergon's rural network runs long feeders and single-wire earth return lines, where export limits are small or zero per connection.
The practical effect is the same as in the south: size to the pump, not the roof, and treat each pump meter as its own system. Where the Burdekin pumps for most of the year the limit matters less; on a Darling Downs cotton pump that runs five months, the winter export is what the limit curtails. The Brisbane commercial solar page covers Energex.
2. STC zone 3 in Brisbane, higher zones north and west
Brisbane postcodes sit in STC zone 3, rating 1.382. For a 2026 install the scheme counts five years, so a 100kW system earns 100 × 1.382 × 5 = 691 certificates, rounded down. Inland and northern Queensland is sunnier, and many postcodes sit in zone 2 (rating 1.536) or zone 1 (1.622), which earns up to a sixth more certificates. Each pump meter is its own system for the discount, and since 1 October 2026 the scheme covers eligible systems up to 1MW on a site.
3. No state rebate, a regulated feed-in rate
Queensland has no standing rebate for commercial solar; the federal STC discount does the work, and it is worth more here than in Melbourne because of the zone. Feed-in tariffs in the south-east are set by retailers. Outside it, in Ergon's area, the feed-in rate is regulated and set each year. Either way it is low enough that a system should be sized to the pump's own use first.
4. Tariffs, seasons and the Burdekin
Many Queensland irrigation pumps sit on their own tariff, and some on a demand tariff, so the rate the solar saves is the one on that meter's bill, not the general business rate. Check it before any quote is compared. The season varies more than anywhere else: cotton and grain on the Darling Downs pump from spring to autumn; the Lockyer Valley's vegetables run through winter; the Burdekin's cane is irrigated for eight to ten months on groundwater and channel supply. A Burdekin pump can reach 70% self-use across the year, a five-month Darling Downs pump closer to 50%.
Heat matters too. Brisbane's summer afternoons cut panel output on the hottest days, and inland it is hotter still. A good proposal accounts for that in the yield rather than quoting a spec-sheet figure.
A worked example for a Darling Downs pump
Here is a worked example with made-up figures. These are example figures, not our prices or a real site. The price is the one our commercial solar cost page uses for a 100kW system.
- A 100kW system on a Darling Downs pump shed, assumed to make about 1,450 kWh per kW a year, the Brisbane city page's figure, so about 145,000 kWh a year.
- The pump uses about 55% of that itself across the year, 79,750 kWh, nearly all of it in the season. 65,250 kWh goes to the grid.
- At $0.28 for each kWh the site no longer buys: 79,750 × $0.28 = $22,330. At $0.05 for each kWh exported: 65,250 × $0.05 = $3,263.
- Yearly saving $25,593. At an example price of $73,000 after the STC discount, that pays back in about 2.9 years.
The same site with the feeder capped at zero export saves $22,330 and pays back in about 3.3 years. A Burdekin pump at 70% self-use on the same system saves about $30,598 a year with exports at $0.05 and pays back in about 2.4 years, because it pumps for most of the year. The season, more than the sun, decides the result, and the proposal should show the limit and the season it assumes.
What to send
Just one recent electricity bill for each pump meter, every page. Using the meter number on it, we get your interval data, which shows the pumping season, the daily pattern and the demand charge. You don't need to request anything from your retailer.
If you know them, mention the pump size in kW, the crop and irrigation type, the months you pump, and whether a shed roof or a ground mount is the likely site. Send a bill and an accredited installer prepares a costed proposal sized to the pump and the export limit. Already have a quote? Compare it line by line with our checklist, starting with the export limit and the tariff it assumes.