In short
- Victoria is the one state with a standing commercial solar incentive: Victorian Energy Upgrades gives an upfront discount on systems between 30kW and 200kW, on top of the federal STC discount.
- A Victorian roof makes less than one in South Australia or Western Australia, so a winery needs more panels for the same output, and the discount helps pay for them.
- Which network the winery is on, Powercor, AusNet, Jemena or United Energy, decides the export limit, and on rural feeders it is often small.
Yes, solar pays for most Victorian wineries in 2026, and Victoria is the one state that adds a discount of its own to the federal one. The catch is sun: Melbourne makes about 1,250 kWh per kW a year, the lowest of the cities on this site, so a Victorian winery needs a larger system for the same output and has to size carefully against the vintage load. This page covers what changes for a Victorian site. The general case is on solar for wineries.
| Quick facts | Winery solar in Victoria |
|---|---|
| Regions | Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula, Heathcote, Rutherglen, King Valley, Grampians, the Murray and Sunraysia |
| Distributor | Powercor (west and north-west), AusNet (east and north-east), United Energy (Mornington), Jemena (north of Melbourne) |
| STC zone | Zone 4, rating 1.185 for Melbourne; northern regions to confirm |
| State help | Victorian Energy Upgrades discount on 30kW to 200kW systems |
| Export value | low; set by the retail contract |
| What to send | one recent bill for each meter; we get the interval data from it |
What's different in Victoria?
1. The only state discount
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. Larger systems can go through the program's project-based activities. The value moves with certificate prices, so a proposal should state the figure on the day rather than a number from a web page. For a winery replacing refrigeration, lighting or heating at the same time, the program can also apply to that equipment, which occasionally stacks with the solar project.
2. Four networks, and rural export limits
Melbourne's wine regions fall across four distributors. The Yarra Valley and the north-east, including Rutherglen and the King Valley, are AusNet. The Mornington Peninsula is United Energy. Heathcote, the Grampians, the Murray and Sunraysia are Powercor. Each publishes its own connection thresholds and export limits, and the process differs.
Rural feeders, especially in the north-east and the Mallee, often carry export limits that are small or zero per connection. A winery that uses most of its solar is barely affected; a roof-sized system on a quiet site is. The Melbourne commercial solar page has more on the networks.
3. STC zone 4 in Melbourne, zone 3 further 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. That is about 100 fewer certificates than the same system in Adelaide, which is one reason the state discount matters here. Rutherglen, the Murray and Sunraysia are further north and sunnier, and some of those postcodes sit in zone 3. Since 1 October 2026 the discount covers eligible systems up to 1MW on a site.
4. A cooler vintage and a longer cooling season
Victorian vintage runs later and cooler than South Australia's, from late February into April in the Yarra Valley and Mornington, earlier in the Murray. Fermentation cooling is still the biggest load, but a cool-climate winery often runs barrel hall temperature control for more of the year, and cellar door trade on the Peninsula and in the Yarra is strong on weekends year round. Sunraysia and the Murray are hotter, sunnier, and closer to the South Australian pattern.
Across twelve months, 60 to 70% self-use is a reasonable planning figure for a Victorian winery with a cellar door and year-round cooling.
A worked example for a Victorian winery
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 in the Yarra Valley, 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 winery uses about 65% of that itself across the year, 81,250 kWh. 43,750 kWh goes to the grid.
- At $0.28 for each kWh the site no longer buys: 81,250 × $0.28 = $22,750. At $0.05 for each kWh exported: 43,750 × $0.05 = $2,188.
- Yearly saving $24,938. At an example price of $73,000 after the STC discount, that pays back in about 2.9 years, before the Victorian Energy Upgrades discount, which shortens it.
Compare the South Australian version of this example: the same system makes 20,000 kWh more a year there. In Victoria the state discount closes part of that gap, and so does sizing. A system sized to the vintage and summer daytime load rather than the roof lifts self-use and shortens the payback. The proposal should show two sizes with the sums.
What to send
Just one recent electricity bill for each meter, every page. Using the meter number on it, we get your interval data, which shows the vintage peak, the cooling season and the winter trough. You don't need to request anything from your retailer.
If you know them, mention the refrigeration capacity, whether there is a cellar door or restaurant, and whether the vineyard pumps are on the same meter. Send a bill and an accredited installer prepares a costed proposal sized to how your winery uses power. Already have a quote? Compare it line by line with our checklist, starting with whether it counts the Victorian Energy Upgrades discount and the network's export limit.