In short
- Solar pays on a farm where the load runs in daylight: irrigation pumping, packing sheds, cool rooms, ventilation fans.
- A dairy is harder. Milking happens early and late, so a system sized to the roof exports most of what it makes for a small credit.
- On a long rural line the export limit, not the roof, usually decides the system size. Several smaller systems on separate meters often beat one big one.
Yes, solar saves most Australian farms money in 2026, but how much depends on when the farm uses power, and on how much the network lets you export. An irrigation pump or a packing shed uses power when the sun is up, so a well-sized system is used almost entirely on site. A dairy's biggest loads fall before sunrise and after mid-afternoon, so the same system earns far less. And on the single-wire and long feeder lines that serve much of rural Australia, the network often caps exports at very little, which caps the size that makes sense.
| Quick facts | Solar for a farm |
|---|---|
| Best fit | daytime loads: irrigation, packing, cool rooms, poultry and piggery ventilation |
| Hardest fit | dairies, where the peaks sit outside solar hours |
| What usually sets the size | the export limit on your line, then the daytime load |
| What to send | one recent bill for each meter; we get the interval data from it |
| Several meters? | often several smaller systems, each sized to its own meter and limit |
Which farm loads suit solar?
Farms rarely have one load profile. They have several, often on separate meters, and solar suits some far better than others.
- Irrigation pumping. Large, seasonal and mostly in daylight. A pump that runs through the day during the season uses nearly all of what a system makes, but makes nothing of it outside the season, when the panels export instead. Pumps are often on their own meter and sometimes on their own tariff, so the sums are done for that meter alone.
- Dairies. Two milking peaks, early morning and mid to late afternoon, each followed by vat cooling and hot-water heating. Little of that overlaps with midday solar. A dairy still saves on the vat compressor and plate cooler through the day, but a system sized to the shed roof exports most of its output.
- Poultry sheds and piggeries. Ventilation fans, cooling pads and heating run around the clock and climb on hot afternoons, when solar makes the most. A steady load, like a cold store, uses a high share of its own solar.
- Packing sheds and cool rooms. Daytime grading and packing plus refrigeration that runs all day. A good fit, strongest in the harvest months.
- The house and workshop. Usually a small load on its own meter. Worth doing, but on its own figures.
Why does the export limit matter more on a farm?
On a city industrial estate the network can usually take what a system exports. On a long rural feeder, and especially on a single-wire earth return line, it often can't. Networks limit exports on these lines to protect voltage, and the limit can be small, or zero, per connection.
That changes the design in two ways.
- Size to the load, not the roof. If the network allows little or no export, every kW above the daytime load makes power that is curtailed or given away. The proposal should state the export limit it assumes and show the system size that fits inside it.
- Use each meter. Many farms have three or four connections: the pump, the dairy or shed, the house. Each has its own limit and its own daytime load. Several smaller systems, each sized to its meter, often use more solar and claim the STC discount on each, where one large system on one meter runs into the limit. Each meter also has its own 1MW ceiling for the STC discount.
A battery can lift self-use on a zero-export site, but test it against the price in the quote and the demand charge, not just the exported kWh. See commercial solar batteries.
How much will solar save a farm?
Here is a worked example with made-up figures. These are example figures, not our prices or a real site. The system, price and rates are the ones used on our commercial solar cost page, so the pages can be checked against each other.
Two Queensland farms each put a 100kW system on a shed roof. Each makes about 145,000 kWh a year, and each pays an example price of $73,000 after the STC discount.
Farm A runs an irrigation pump and a packing shed. The pump runs through the day in the irrigation season and the shed's cool room runs year round. The site uses about 75% of the solar.
- 108,750 kWh × $0.28 = $30,450, plus 36,250 kWh × $0.05 = $1,813. Yearly saving $32,263.
- At $73,000, that pays back in about 2.3 years.
Farm B is a dairy. Milking runs from 5am and from 3pm, with vat cooling after each. The midday load is the vat compressor cycling and the plate cooler. The site uses about 45% of the solar.
- 65,250 kWh × $0.28 = $18,270, plus 79,750 kWh × $0.05 = $3,988. Yearly saving $22,258.
- At $73,000, that pays back in about 3.3 years.
Same roof, same system, same price, a year apart. On the dairy, a smaller system sized to the midday load usually comes out better per dollar, and if the line limits exports the dairy's spare 55% may earn nothing at all. The proposal should show both sizes with the sums, so you can see where the extra panels stop paying.
What does each state offer a farm?
The federal STC discount applies everywhere. Since 1 October 2026 it covers eligible systems up to 1MW on a site, and a system between 100kW and 1MW chooses between STCs and REGO certificates. The states add little for solar itself, and we found no standing state grant for farm solar in 2026.
| State | What matters for a farm |
|---|---|
| NSW | No rebate on solar panels. The Peak Demand Reduction Scheme gives businesses an upfront discount on batteries from 20 kWh to 30 MWh, larger when new solar goes in within 90 days. Relevant for a dairy or pump site that can't export. |
| VIC | The one state with a commercial solar incentive. Victorian Energy Upgrades gives an upfront discount on systems between 30kW and 200kW, through an accredited provider. Above 200kW, its project-based activities apply. |
| QLD | No state rebate for commercial solar. Irrigation and farm loads are often on their own tariff, so the rate the solar saves can differ from the general business rate. Check it on the bill. Feed-in credits in the south-east are set by retailers; outside it they are regulated. |
| SA | No state government rebate; some councils run their own. Export value is especially weak, so size the system to what the farm uses. |
| WA | No state rebate for business solar, and the buyback scheme doesn't cover commercial systems. Many farms sit on long feeders with tight export limits, so the return comes from self-use. |
| ACT | No solar rebate. The Sustainable Business Program co-funds energy efficiency upgrades up to $10,000. Solar isn't a listed item. |
We haven't checked Tasmania or the Northern Territory yet. Full detail and dates are on commercial solar rebates.
Ground mount or shed roof?
Farms have a choice most businesses don't: land. A ground-mounted array can face north at the ideal tilt, sits where the cable run to the meter is short, and is easy to clean. It costs more per kW than a roof system because of the frames, footings and trenching, and it needs fencing where stock graze. A shed roof is cheaper if it is sound, faces roughly north, and is close to the switchboard. On an old shed, check the roof and the switchboard before anything is quoted, and ask whether the sheeting contains asbestos.
Dust, pollen and bird mess cut output on a farm more than in town. The proposal should say how often panels need cleaning and whether that is included.
What should a farm send for a proposal?
Just one recent bill for each meter, every page. Using the NMI on each bill, the team gets that meter's interval data, which shows when the pump runs, when the dairy peaks and what the shed draws at midday. You don't need to request anything.
If you know them, these help too. Mention them in the form:
- The season: when the pump runs and for how many hours a day
- Milking times and the size of the vat, for a dairy
- Where the panels could go: shed roof or ground, and how far it is from the meter
- Any planned change: a new pump, electric heating replacing gas, a second shed
Our guide on how to read a commercial electricity bill explains what's on it.
What to ask your installer
- What export limit have you assumed on our line, and have you confirmed it with the network?
- How much of the solar do you expect us to use on each meter, and is that from our interval data?
- Have you priced the pump meter and the dairy meter separately, and shown where a second system beats a bigger first one?
- Ground mount or roof: what does each cost per kW here, and who fences a ground array?
- How much output do you expect to lose to dust, and what does cleaning cost?
Already have a quote in hand? Compare it line by line with our checklist and we'll check these points for free. Otherwise, send a bill for each meter and an accredited installer prepares a costed proposal sized to how your farm uses power. It's free, with no obligation.