Melbourne · Victoria
Melbourne is five different connection processes wearing one city's name
Which distribution network your site sits on changes the export limits, the paperwork and the timeline. It's decided by the street, not the suburb, and it's the first thing to establish.
- Five
- Distribution networks
- 1,250 kWh/kW
- Annual yield
- STC Zone 4
- Federal discount zone
- On your bill
- Where your network is named
Connection
The five networks
Sydney has two distributors and every other city on this site has one. Melbourne has five, and they don't publish the same rules as each other.
CitiPower
The CBD and inner suburbs
Powercor
Western suburbs and out through the west
Jemena
Northern and north-western suburbs
United Energy
South-east, bayside and the peninsula
AusNet Services
Eastern and outer-eastern suburbs
Your distributor is named on your electricity bill, usually near the meter details rather than anywhere prominent. It’s one of the reasons we ask for the whole bill.
Yield
Lower yield changes the sizing, not the answer
1,250
kWh per kW a year in Melbourne
1,600
The same system in Perth
+28%
Extra capacity Melbourne needs to match it
Each of the five Melbourne networks publishes its own export limits, and some inner-city feeders are constrained enough that a large system gets capped. That's a design input, not a surprise to be discovered after installation.
Melbourne generates less per kilowatt than any other city here, roughly 1,250 kWh per kW a year against Perth's 1,600. A Melbourne system needs to be sized larger for the same annual output, and any proposal quoting Perth-style yields for a Melbourne roof is wrong.
None of that makes Melbourne a bad place for commercial solar. It makes it a place where a system has to be sized honestly. The failure mode here is a proposal built on national average yield figures, which quietly overstates generation by around a fifth and turns a four-year payback into a three-year one on paper only.
Incentives
What Victoria actually offers
Victoria is the one state with a current commercial solar incentive. Through the Victorian Energy Upgrades program, businesses and other non-residential sites can get an upfront discount on systems between 30kW and 200kW, delivered by a VEU accredited provider who creates certificates for the installation. Larger systems can go through the program's project-based activities. The value moves with certificate prices, so we check it on the day rather than putting a number on a web page that ages badly.
Victorian Energy Upgrades certificates can also apply to some equipment on a site, which occasionally stacks with a solar project. That's worth raising if you're replacing lighting, refrigeration or heating at the same time.
Federal STCs apply in Victoria as everywhere else, though Melbourne's zone rating means the discount is smaller than a Brisbane or Perth business gets on the same system. The cost page covers how that works.
Source: Solar Victoria: commercial and industrial solar (opens in a new tab)
By industry
Solar by industry in Melbourne
The network rules, the STC zone and the state incentive, worked through for one kind of site.
- Solar for cold storage in MelbourneYes, solar pays for most cold stores in Melbourne, and Victoria is the one state that adds its own discount on top of the federal one.
- Solar for dairy farms in VictoriaSolar for a Victorian dairy: why milking times cut the return, AusNet and Powercor rural line limits, STC zone 4, the Victorian Energy Upgrades discount…
- Solar for irrigation in VictoriaDoes solar pay for an irrigation pump in Victoria? The VEU discount for 30kW to 200kW, Powercor and AusNet export limits, and higher northern STC zones.
- Solar for manufacturing in MelbourneFor a Melbourne manufacturer, commercial solar in 2026 pays back in roughly two and a half to three years on a weekday-shift site before the Victorian…
- Solar for warehouses in MelbourneSolar for a Melbourne warehouse or distribution centre: which of five distributors you're on, STC zone 4, the Victorian Energy Upgrades discount, and a…
- Solar for wineries in VictoriaDoes solar pay for a Victorian winery? The VEU discount on top of STCs, a lower yield than SA or WA, and which network sets your export limit.
Guides
Guides to read before you get a quote
- 50kW solar: how your opening hours change the paybackRoof, output, and why daytime trading matters more than price.
- Demand charges explained, and how to cut themHow to find the demand charge on your bill and lower your peak.
- How STCs work for business, and the 1MW changeThe upfront solar discount, how it's worked out, and what changed on 1 October 2026.
Questions
Melbourne questions
Which network is my Melbourne site on?
It depends on the street, and there's no clean suburb-level rule. Roughly, CitiPower covers the CBD and inner ring, Powercor the west, Jemena the north, United Energy the south-east and bayside, and AusNet the east. Your electricity bill names the distributor, usually in the fine print near the meter details. We check it against the address before quoting rather than guessing.
Does Melbourne get enough sun for commercial solar to work?
Yes, though a Melbourne system generates about 1,250 kWh per kW a year against Perth's 1,600, so it needs to be roughly 28% larger for the same annual output. Payback periods here are longer than in the sunbelt states and still commonly land inside four years for a business with daytime load. Victorian grid rates being what they are helps.
Is there a Victorian rebate for business solar?
Yes, for systems between 30kW and 200kW. The Victorian Energy Upgrades program gives businesses and other non-residential sites an upfront discount through an accredited provider, and systems above 200kW can go through its project-based activities. The value moves with certificate prices, so we check it against your site on the day rather than publishing a figure that ages badly. It comes on top of the federal STC discount.
Source: Solar Victoria: commercial and industrial solar (opens in a new tab)
Can we be refused permission to export in Melbourne?
You can be limited rather than refused outright, and it happens on constrained inner-city feeders in particular. Each of the five networks sets its own limits. A capped export system can still be worth building if your consumption is mostly during the day, but you want to see the payback calculated both ways before committing.
Send a Melbourne bill and we'll find your network
One recent bill is enough to size a system and price it. It costs nothing, and there's no obligation.
Send your bill