In short
- A Melbourne cold store still uses 85–90% of the solar it makes, but each kW makes less here than anywhere else on this site, about 1,250 kWh a year.
- Victoria is the only state with an upfront discount on business solar, through Victorian Energy Upgrades, for systems between 30kW and 200kW.
- Melbourne is split across five distribution networks. Which one you're on sets the export limit, and it changes street by street.
Yes, 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. The catch is output: a Melbourne roof makes roughly a fifth less per kW than a Brisbane roof, so a system here is sized larger for the same saving. This page covers what changes for a Melbourne site. The general case for solar on a cold store, including the overnight load and the battery question, is on solar for cold storage.
| Quick facts | Cold storage solar in Melbourne |
|---|---|
| Distributor | CitiPower, Powercor, Jemena, United Energy or AusNet Services, by street |
| STC zone | Zone 4, rating 1.185 |
| State help | Victorian Energy Upgrades discount on 30kW–200kW business systems |
| Output assumption | about 1,250 kWh per kW a year |
| What to send | one recent bill; we get the interval data from it |
What's different in Melbourne?
1. Five networks, five sets of export limits
Melbourne's cold stores cluster in the west (Truganina, Laverton North, Derrimut), the north (Somerton, Epping, Campbellfield) and the south-east (Dandenong South). Broadly, the west is Powercor, the north is Jemena, the south-east is United Energy, and AusNet covers the outer east and north-east, with CitiPower in the inner city. Each network publishes its own connection process and export limits, and some feeders are constrained enough that a large system gets capped.
- Up to about 30kW: a simpler connection on all five networks.
- Around 100kW: a full connection application with an export assessment.
- Above 100kW: a negotiated connection, and an export limit is likely on constrained feeders. A cold store sized to its own load is rarely troubled by it.
We check the address against the network map before quoting. The Melbourne commercial solar page has more on the five networks.
2. STC zone 4: fewer certificates
Melbourne postcodes sit in STC zone 4, rating 1.185, the lowest of the five cities. For a system installed in 2026 the scheme counts five years, so a 100kW system earns 100 × 1.185 × 5 = 592 certificates, rounded down, against 691 for the same system in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide or Perth. Expect the STC line on a Melbourne quote to be about 14% smaller than an interstate quote for identical equipment. The zone table is on the Clean Energy Regulator's site. Since 1 October 2026 the discount covers eligible systems up to 1MW.
3. The Victorian Energy Upgrades discount
Victoria is the only state with a standing commercial solar incentive. Through Victorian Energy Upgrades, a business can get an upfront discount on a solar system between 30kW and 200kW, delivered by an 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 print a figure. For a cold store the program can also apply to refrigeration and lighting upgrades, which sometimes stack with a solar project. Solar Victoria's commercial and industrial solar page is the source.
4. Short winter days, hot bright summers
Melbourne's refrigeration load is lowest in winter, when solar output is also lowest, and highest on the hot, clear days of January and February, when the panels make the most. That lines up well. What a Melbourne site can't escape is the lower annual total: as general knowledge, about 1,250 kWh per kW against Brisbane's 1,450 and Perth's 1,600. A proposal quoting Brisbane-style output for a Melbourne roof is wrong, and it is one of the first things we check on a quote.
A worked example for a Melbourne cold store
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 in Melbourne, assumed to make about 1,250 kWh per kW a year, so about 125,000 kWh a year.
- The cold store uses about 90% of that itself, 112,500 kWh, because refrigeration runs around the clock. 12,500 kWh goes to the grid.
- At $0.28 for each kWh the site no longer buys: 112,500 × $0.28 = $31,500. At $0.05 for exports: 12,500 × $0.05 = $625.
- Yearly saving $32,125. At an example price of $73,000 after the STC discount, that pays back in about 2.3 years.
Melbourne makes the least per kW of the five cities, so the same 100kW roof earns less here than in Brisbane. Two things pull the other way: the Victorian Energy Upgrades discount, which is not counted in the price above, and the hot, bright days of January and February when refrigeration load and solar output peak together.
What to send
Just one recent electricity bill, every page. Using the meter number on it, we get your interval data, which shows the day and night split, the summer peaks and the demand charge. You don't need to request anything from your retailer. The bill also names your distributor, which is the first thing we need in Melbourne.
If you know them, mention the number of compressors, the defrost schedule and whether the roof is insulated panel. Send a bill and an accredited installer prepares a costed proposal sized to how your site uses power. Already have a quote? Compare it line by line with our checklist, including the output figure it assumes and whether it counts the Victorian discount.