In short
- Victoria is the one state with a standing commercial solar discount, Victorian Energy Upgrades, for systems between 30kW and 200kW, and it applies to a pump system at a farm.
- The Goulburn Valley, Sunraysia and the Mallee are Powercor; the north-east is AusNet. Both run long rural feeders with export limits that are often small or zero.
- Northern Victoria is sunnier than Melbourne and some postcodes sit in a higher STC zone, so a Sunraysia pump earns more certificates than the same system near the city.
Yes, solar pays on most Victorian irrigation sites in 2026, and Victoria adds a discount of its own to the federal one, which helps make up for a lower yield than Queensland or New South Wales. The Goulburn Valley's orchards and dairies, Sunraysia's grapes, citrus and almonds, and the Mallee's cropping all pump in daylight through the season, which suits solar. The export limit on the feeder, and the quiet months, are what the design has to handle. This page covers what changes for a Victorian site. The general case is on solar for irrigation.
| Quick facts | Irrigation solar in Victoria |
|---|---|
| Regions | Goulburn Valley (Shepparton, Cobram), the Murray (Echuca, Swan Hill), Sunraysia (Mildura, Robinvale), the Mallee, Macalister (Maffra) |
| Distributor | Powercor (north and west), AusNet (north-east and Gippsland) |
| STC zone | Zone 4, rating 1.185 for Melbourne; Sunraysia and the Mallee likely zone 3 |
| State help | Victorian Energy Upgrades discount on 30kW to 200kW systems |
| 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 Victoria?
1. The state discount applies to a pump
Through Victorian Energy Upgrades, a non-residential site can get an upfront discount on a solar system between 30kW and 200kW, delivered by an accredited provider who creates certificates for the installation. A farm's pump meter counts. The value moves with certificate prices, so a proposal should state the figure on the day. Larger systems can go through the program's project-based activities. If the pump itself is being replaced with a more efficient one, the program may apply to that too.
2. Powercor, AusNet and the rural limit
The Goulburn Valley, the Murray, Sunraysia and the Mallee are Powercor; the north-east and Gippsland, including the Macalister district, are AusNet. Each has its own connection thresholds and export limits. Across the Mallee and much of the north, long feeders and single-wire earth return lines carry export limits that are small or zero per connection. The design rule is the same as elsewhere: size to the pump, treat each meter as its own system. The Melbourne commercial solar page covers the metro networks.
3. Zone 4 in Melbourne, zone 3 in the north
Melbourne postcodes sit in STC zone 4, rating 1.185. For a 2026 install the scheme counts five years, so a 100kW system earns 100 × 1.185 × 5 = 592 certificates, rounded down. Sunraysia, the Mallee and the Murray are sunnier, and many of those postcodes sit in zone 3, rating 1.382, which is 691 certificates for the same system, a sixth more. 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.
4. A shorter season, and a sunnier north
Victorian irrigation runs from spring to autumn on the allocation: orchards and dairy pasture in the Goulburn Valley, vines, citrus and almonds in Sunraysia, cropping in the Mallee. Melbourne makes about 1,250 kWh per kW a year, the lowest of the cities on this site, but Mildura is far sunnier than Melbourne and closer to Adelaide's figure. A pump proposal for the north should not use a Melbourne yield.
Pumps are usually on their own meter and often on their own tariff, so the rate the solar saves is the one on that bill. Across a year, 50 to 60% self-use is a reasonable planning figure for a seasonal pump with no other load on the meter.
A worked example for a Goulburn Valley 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, before any Victorian Energy Upgrades discount.
- A 100kW system on a Goulburn Valley pump shed, assumed to make about 1,250 kWh per kW a year, the Melbourne city page's figure, so about 125,000 kWh a year.
- The pump uses about 55% of that itself across the year, 68,750 kWh, nearly all of it in the season. 56,250 kWh goes to the grid.
- At $0.28 for each kWh the site no longer buys: 68,750 × $0.28 = $19,250. At $0.05 for each kWh exported: 56,250 × $0.05 = $2,813.
- Yearly saving $22,063. At an example price of $73,000 after the STC discount, that pays back in about 3.3 years, before the Victorian Energy Upgrades discount, which shortens it.
The same site with the feeder capped at zero export saves $19,250 and pays back in about 3.8 years before the state discount. Compare the Queensland version of this example, which pays back in about 2.9 years on the same system: the gap is sun. The state discount, a higher STC zone in the north, and a system sized to the pump rather than the roof are the three things that close it. The proposal should show two sizes with the sums and the discount as its own line.
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 whether it counts the Victorian Energy Upgrades discount and the export limit.