In short
- A supermarket is one of the best solar sites there is: refrigeration runs all day, so it uses almost everything the panels make.
- A shop on trading hours does well too, as long as the system is sized to the hours the doors are open, not to the roof.
- In a shopping centre the question is who controls the roof and the meter. Often the centre owner installs and the tenant buys the power.
Solar usually pays for Australian retail in 2026, and how well depends on one thing: how much of the day the store draws power. A supermarket with refrigeration running around the clock uses nearly all of its solar and pays back fastest. A shop trading six days from ten to six uses most of it. A tenancy in a shopping centre can be a good site too, but the deal is usually done with the centre owner, because they control the roof and often the meter.
| Quick facts | Solar for retail |
|---|---|
| Supermarket, 7 days, refrigeration | uses about 90% of its solar; payback among the fastest of any site |
| Shop, 6 days, 10–6 | uses about 70–80% if sized to trading hours |
| Shopping-centre tenancy | depends on roof control and whether the centre runs an embedded network |
| Part solar can't cut | overnight refrigeration, the fixed daily charge, most of the demand charge |
| What to send | one recent bill; we get the interval data from it |
Why does trading pattern matter more than roof size?
Solar earns most on the power you would otherwise buy, at the rate on your bill. Power sent to the grid earns a small credit, and in some states almost nothing. So a system that makes power while the store is closed is a system that exports.
- Supermarkets, convenience stores, bottle shops with cool rooms: refrigeration, lighting and air conditioning run seven days, and the fridges never stop. Nearly all of the solar is used on site. Summer afternoons push refrigeration hardest, which is also when the panels make the most.
- Shops and showrooms on trading hours: lighting and air conditioning for the hours the doors are open. A system sized to the open hours is used well; a system sized to the roof exports at the weekend and on Sundays.
- Big-box retail and hardware: large roofs, seven-day trading, forklifts charging and warehouse lighting. Usually a strong site, often limited more by the network's export rule than by the roof.
Commercial solar cost shows how the self-use share moves the payback for the same system.
How much will solar save a retail site?
Two worked examples with made-up figures. These are example figures, not our prices or a real site.
A Brisbane supermarket, 100kW. It makes about 145,000 kWh a year at the cost page's example output of 1,450 kWh per kW. Refrigeration runs all day, so the store uses about 90% of it.
- 130,500 kWh × $0.28 = $36,540, plus 14,500 kWh exported × $0.05 = $725. Yearly saving $37,265.
- At the example price of $73,000 after the STC discount, payback is about 2.0 years. The same result as a cold store, for the same reason.
A six-day shop, 30kW. It makes about 43,500 kWh a year. Trading ten to six, closed Sundays, the shop uses about 75% of it.
- 32,625 kWh × $0.28 = $9,135, plus 10,875 kWh × $0.05 = $544. Yearly saving $9,679.
- At the cost page's range for 30kW, $21,000 to $29,000 after STCs, payback is about 2.2 to 3.0 years.
If the same shop went to 50kW, most of the extra output would arrive at the weekend and in the early morning before opening. The second 20kW earns far less per kW than the first 30kW. Your interval data shows where that point falls.
Shopping centres, tenancies and embedded networks
Three things change the answer inside a centre.
- Who controls the roof. Usually the centre owner. A tenant can rarely install alone, and a lease often says so. The common arrangement is that the owner installs and sells the solar power to tenants at a rate below the grid, or simply uses it to cut the centre's common-area bill.
- Embedded networks. Many centres buy power at one gate meter and on-sell it to tenants through their own child meters. If your centre does this, your "retailer" is the centre, your tariff is set by the centre, and a solar deal is a conversation with the centre's energy manager, not an installer. Rules for embedded networks differ by state.
- Strip retail with its own meter and roof. A shop that owns or leases a standalone building with its own NMI is a normal commercial site. The landlord's consent is the only extra step. Our page on solar for leased buildings covers who pays and who saves.
Should a retail site add a battery?
For a supermarket, test it against the demand charge rather than overnight use. The peak is often set when the refrigeration restarts after a defrost cycle or when the air conditioning comes on at opening, and a battery that trims that can pay where storing a small export cannot. For a six-day shop, the spare solar is at the weekend and a battery would need to carry it to Monday, which is a poor use of a battery. See commercial solar batteries. In NSW the Peak Demand Reduction Scheme gives businesses an upfront discount on batteries from 20 kWh.
What does each state offer a retail site?
The federal STC discount applies everywhere, and since 1 October 2026 it covers eligible systems up to 1MW. The states add little for solar.
| State | What matters for retail |
|---|---|
| NSW | No rebate on solar. The Peak Demand Reduction Scheme discounts batteries from 20 kWh to 30 MWh, larger when new solar goes in within 90 days. |
| VIC | Victorian Energy Upgrades gives an upfront discount on business solar systems between 30kW and 200kW through an accredited provider. Larger systems can use its project-based activities. |
| QLD | No state rebate. Feed-in credits in the south-east are set by retailers, so check the contract before counting on exports. |
| SA | No state rebate. Some councils, such as the City of Adelaide, run their own. Export value is weak, so size to what the store uses. |
| WA | No state rebate, and the buyback scheme doesn't cover commercial systems. |
| ACT | No solar rebate. The Sustainable Business Program co-funds 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. The ATO's instant asset write-off can apply to the system for an eligible small business; your accountant decides whether it does for yours.
What should a retail site send for a proposal?
Just one recent bill, every page. Using the NMI on it, the team gets your interval data, which shows trading hours, the refrigeration base load and when the peaks happen. You don't need to request anything.
If you know them, these help too. Mention them in the form:
- Trading hours and days, including late nights and public holidays
- Refrigeration: walk-in cool rooms, display cases, any planned refit
- The lease: who owns the roof, and whether the centre runs an embedded network
- Roof: many retail roofs carry air-conditioning plant and signage that limit panel area
What to ask your installer
- How much of the solar will we use, from our interval data, on a Sunday as well as a Tuesday?
- What does the system save at our real rate per kWh, not a typical one?
- Has the landlord's consent been dealt with, and who owns the system at the end of the lease?
- Does our network limit exports, and what happens to the spare power when we are closed?
- If you suggest a battery, what does it do to our demand charge, shown on its own line?
Your trading pattern is in your interval data, and only your bill shows the rate it saves. Send a bill and an accredited installer prepares a costed proposal sized to how your store uses power. It's free, with no obligation. Already have a quote? Compare it line by line with our checklist.