Commercial Solar Cost Australia 2026
Commercial solar in Australia is priced by system size. A 10 kW system for a small shop or office costs $8,000–$12,000 installed after STCs, 20 kW $15,000–$26,000, 30 kW $22,000–$33,000, 50 kW $35,000–$55,000 and 100 kW $70,000–$110,000. Per watt that is $0.70–$1.20, with the largest arrays on long shed roofs at the low end.
The site, not the panels, is what moves a quote between two businesses buying the same kilowatts. Tilt frames on a concrete tower roof need a structural engineering report at $800–$2,000, crane or cherry picker hire at $1,000–$3,000 a day and a dock booking; a flat metal shed roof takes the same panels with a hoist. An older switchboard adds a switchboard upgrade at $1,500–$5,000 before the inverter can connect.
Systems over 30 kW can be asked to pay for network upgrade or connection works at $2,000–$10,000, and commercial panel cleaning once the array is running costs $5–$15 a panel. Prices include GST. The bands on this page are national; each city guide below carries the same bands with that city's own year-on-year movement and local site notes.
| City | 30 kW installed, after STCs | Year on year |
|---|---|---|
| Sydney | $22,000-$33,000 | ↓ -1.4% |
| Melbourne | $22,000-$33,000 | ↓ -1.6% |
| Brisbane | $22,000-$33,000 | ↓ -1.3% |
| Perth | $22,000-$33,000 | ↓ -2.0% |
| Adelaide | $22,000-$33,000 | ↓ -0.9% |
| Gold Coast | $22,000-$33,000 | ↓ -1.3% |
| Canberra | $22,000-$33,000 | ↓ -1.5% |
| Hobart | $22,000-$33,000 | ↓ -1.5% |
| Darwin | $22,000-$33,000 | ↓ -1.5% |
| Newcastle | $22,000-$33,000 | ↓ -1.4% |
| Geelong | $22,000-$33,000 | ↓ -1.6% |
| Sunshine Coast | $22,000-$33,000 | ↓ -1.3% |
| Wollongong | $22,000-$33,000 | ↓ -1.4% |
| Townsville | $22,000-$33,000 | ↓ -1.3% |
| Byron Bay | $22,000-$33,000 | ↓ -1.4% |
| Central Coast | $22,000-$33,000 | ↓ -1.4% |
| Cairns | $22,000-$33,000 | ↓ -1.3% |
Commercial Solar Cost by City — Australia
Commercial Solar Prices in Australia 2026: Cost Table and Price List
| Service | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 kW commercial system (small shop / office) | $8,000installed | $10,000 | $12,000 |
| 20 kW commercial system | $15,000installed | $20,000 | $26,000 |
| 30 kW commercial system | $22,000installed | $27,000 | $33,000 |
| 50 kW commercial system | $35,000installed | $44,000 | $55,000 |
| 100 kW commercial system | $70,000installed | $88,000 | $110,000 |
| Installed cost per watt, commercial (after STCs) | $0.70per W | $0.90 | $1.20 |
| Structural engineering report | $800report | $1,200 | $2,000 |
| Switchboard upgrade for a commercial system | $1,500per job | $3,000 | $5,000 |
| Network upgrade / connection works (systems over 30 kW) | $2,000per job | $5,000 | $10,000 |
| Crane or cherry picker hire | $1,000per day | $2,000 | $3,000 |
| Commercial panel cleaning | $5per panel | $10 | $15 |
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Get free quotes →Prices include GST. National figures, November 2026.
Worked Commercial Solar Cost Scenarios — Australia
Three examples priced from the national rows above. Each line names the row it draws on; the quote you receive prices your own roof, switchboard and network connection.
- Distribution shed, 100 kW. A wholesaler fits a 100 kW array to a long north-facing metal roof at $70,000–$110,000, with $88,000 typical. Because the system is over 30 kW the installer prices network upgrade or connection works separately at $2,000–$10,000, and a day of crane hire at $1,000–$3,000 lifts the pallets of panels onto the roof.
- Office building, 30 kW on tilt frames. The owner of a three-storey office installs a 30 kW system at $22,000–$33,000. The concrete roof gets a structural engineering report first, at $800–$2,000, and the base-building switchboard needs an upgrade at $1,500–$5,000 before the inverter can be connected.
- Small shop, running costs. A cafe with a 10 kW system installed at $8,000–$12,000 budgets the upkeep: commercial panel cleaning at $5–$15 a panel, booked once or twice a year depending on dust and salt, with the installer checking brackets at each visit.
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Get free quotes →Commercial Solar Costs by Sector — Australia
Sector sets the size, and the roof sets the site works.
- Distribution and logistics sheds - Long, flat metal roofs take the biggest arrays cheaply per watt: a 100 kW system costs $70,000–$110,000 installed, and the larger the array the closer it sits to the $0.70 per watt floor.
- Manufacturing and cold storage - Three-phase sites usually land at 50 kW to 100 kW, $35,000–$55,000 to $70,000–$110,000, with network upgrade or connection works at $2,000–$10,000 on anything over 30 kW.
- Offices and tower tenancies - Tilt frames on concrete roofs need a structural engineering report at $800–$2,000 and crane or cherry picker hire at $1,000–$3,000 a day, on top of a 20 kW or 30 kW system at $15,000–$26,000 or $22,000–$33,000.
- Retail and hospitality - A cafe, bar or shop fits a 10 kW system at $8,000–$12,000; older shopfronts are where a switchboard upgrade at $1,500–$5,000 most often joins the quote.
- Farms, packing sheds and wineries - Packing sheds and coolrooms take 30 kW to 50 kW arrays at $22,000–$33,000 to $35,000–$55,000, with commercial panel cleaning at $5–$15 a panel booked after harvest dust.
What a Compliant Commercial Solar Quote Includes — Cost in Australia
Before comparing quotes, check each one prices the same kilowatts and the same panel and inverter brands, states how the installer gets panels and people onto the roof, and shows site works, certificates and GST on their own lines.
- System size in kW, panel count, panel and inverter make and model, and whether the inverter is single or three phase
- The STC assignment shown as a separate line, so the installed price after STCs and the price before it are both visible
- A structural engineering report, priced at $800–$2,000, listed as included or excluded
- Switchboard upgrade work, at $1,500–$5,000 where needed, shown as its own line
- For systems over 30 kW, network upgrade or connection works at $2,000–$10,000 and who lodges the network application
- Crane or cherry picker hire at $1,000–$3,000 a day, and any lift, dock or after-hours access charges for towers
- Commercial panel cleaning at $5–$15 a panel if a maintenance visit is bundled, priced per visit
- Install, site works and any monitoring or maintenance each on its own line, on a single GST basis
- The installer's accreditation number and proof of insurance
Commercial solar cost in Australia: system size, site works and running costs compared
Commercial solar cost in Australia comes in three parts: the system, the site works and the upkeep. The system is priced by size - $8,000–$12,000 for 10 kW (typically $10,000), $15,000–$26,000 for 20 kW, $22,000–$33,000 for 30 kW, $35,000–$55,000 for 50 kW and $70,000–$110,000 for 100 kW, all installed after STCs - and the installed cost per watt of $0.70–$1.20 falls as the array grows.
Site works are where quotes for the same kilowatts diverge. A structural engineering report at $800–$2,000 is usual before tilt frames go onto a concrete roof; a switchboard upgrade at $1,500–$5,000 is driven by the age of the board; crane or cherry picker hire at $1,000–$3,000 a day covers towers and tilt-frame roofs; and network upgrade or connection works at $2,000–$10,000 can apply to any system over 30 kW. Upkeep is mostly commercial panel cleaning at $5–$15 a panel, booked more often near the coast and on farms.
The Clean Energy Regulator says eligibility for solar PV systems under the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme has been expanded from 100 kW to 1 MW for eligible systems installed from 1 October 2026, with a fixed 5-year deeming period for 100 kW to 1 MW systems, and that STC applications for those mid-scale systems will not open until mid to late November 2026. Existing arrangements for systems smaller than 100 kW are not affected. A good quote shows the STC line separately, names who lodges any network application for a system over 30 kW, and prices cleaning per visit.
Commercial solar cost by system size in Australia
A system gets bigger in panels, and the price per watt falls as it does: $0.70–$1.20 across the range, with 100 kW shed arrays at the bottom of it. The fixed items do not scale the same way. A structural engineering report at $800–$2,000 costs about the same for 20 kW as for 50 kW, and a switchboard upgrade at $1,500–$5,000 is driven by the age of the board, not the array.
What moves a job of a given size is getting panels and people onto the roof: towers need crane or cherry picker hire at $1,000–$3,000 a day, induction and dock slots; coastal and cyclone-region sites need rated fixings. Systems over 30 kW add network upgrade or connection works at $2,000–$10,000, and every size carries commercial panel cleaning at $5–$15 a panel once it is running.
Commercial solar cost in Australia: what the jobs are priced at
Commercial solar anywhere in the country starts with the same short list of jobs; what shifts the number is the roof, the switchboard and how far the installer travels. Tropical sites need cyclone-rated frames and a dry-season booking, coastal sites need marine-grade fixings, and inland and southern sites mostly need a clear roof and a modern board.
- Systems: $8,000–$12,000 for 10 kW, $15,000–$26,000 for 20 kW, $22,000–$33,000 for 30 kW, $35,000–$55,000 for 50 kW and $70,000–$110,000 for 100 kW, installed after STCs, with $27,000 typical at 30 kW.
- Per watt: $0.70–$1.20 installed after STCs, $0.90 typical, lowest on the largest arrays.
- Engineering and access: a structural engineering report at $800–$2,000 and crane or cherry picker hire at $1,000–$3,000 a day where the roof calls for them.
- Electrical: a switchboard upgrade at $1,500–$5,000 where the board is old, and network upgrade or connection works at $2,000–$10,000 on systems over 30 kW.
- Upkeep: commercial panel cleaning at $5–$15 a panel, priced per visit.