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Solar panels in Brisbane

Brisbane is one of the easiest places in the country to make solar pay. The sun is strong all year, the summers are hot and humid enough that air conditioning drives the bills, and the housing stock, from high-set Queenslanders to project homes in the outer suburbs, mostly carries a large, simple roof. The Clean Energy Regulator's postcode data on this page covers the city from the river suburbs out to Ipswich, Logan, Moreton Bay and the Redcliffe peninsula.

Clean Energy Regulator small-scale installation data across 131 postcodes in Greater Brisbane, to October 2026. Averages include some business systems.

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Where the installs are going

The growth is on the edges. North Lakes, Griffin and the Moreton Bay estates in the north, Springfield, Ripley and Yarrabilba to the south west and south, and the bayside suburbs have all been adding solar-ready homes fast, and Ipswich has become one of the busiest install areas in the state. The inner ring installs steadily too, often on the big tin roofs of renovated Queenslanders.

Roofs and homes in Brisbane

Brisbane roofs are mostly corrugated iron or Colorbond, with tile through the seventies and eighties suburbs, and nearly all of them take panels without fuss. The weather is the thing to design for: the city sits outside the cyclone region but gets serious storms and hail through spring and summer, so panel impact ratings and a properly engineered mounting system are worth reading about. Shade from big trees is common in the older suburbs, and humidity is hard on inverters mounted in the open, so a sheltered, ventilated spot for the inverter matters.

Brick house with solar panels on its roof, on a suburban street

The network: Energex

Energex runs the network across South East Queensland. Single-phase homes are usually limited to a 5 kW export, three-phase homes can go larger, and bigger systems go through a connection application. Energex has also been introducing dynamic connections that allow higher exports when the network has room. Queensland feed-in tariffs are set by the retailers rather than mandated, and the spread between plans is wide, so it pays to compare once the system is in.

Suburban street with power poles and overhead lines at sunset

What a system generates in Brisbane

Brisbane averages 5 peak sun hours a day and sits in STC Zone 3. A peak sun hour is an hour of sunlight at full strength, so the figure is what a panel collects once the weaker morning and evening light is added up. On that average, this is what the two most common system sizes produce on a north-facing roof with no shade.

Average daily and yearly solar generation in Brisbane
SystemAverage dayYear
6.6 kW28.1 kWh10,238 kWh
10 kW42.5 kWh15,513 kWh

Worked as system size times 5 peak sun hours times 85%, the allowance our suburb pages make for inverter, heat and wiring losses, over 365 average days. Summer days produce well above the average and winter days well below it, and an east or west-facing array produces less than a north-facing one.

Across the eight capitals, the same 6.6 kW system makes from about 7,576 kWh a year in Hobart to about 11,262 kWh in Darwin. More sun means more output from the same panels, but it does not change the STC rebate within a zone: that is set by the zone, the system size and the year you install.

Rebates and feed-in tariffs in Brisbane

Federal
Up to $8,000+ in solar and battery rebates in STC Zone 3. See how we calculate this.
Queensland
no state add-on.
Feed-in tariff
The best single-rate plan we can find for 4000 pays 12.0c per kWh (Origin Energy). Compare QLD feed-in tariffs.

How much solar panels cost in Brisbane

These are the installed prices our solar panel cost guide works on, with the federal STC rebate for Brisbane taken off. The rebate comes off the quote at the point of sale, so the last column is what you actually pay. In STC Zone 3 it is worth $1,710 on a 6.6 kW system and $2,622 on a 10 kW one.

  • 5 kW

    Installed price
    $4,500 to $6,500
    STC rebate, Zone 3
    $1,292
    You pay after the STC
    $3,208 to $5,208

  • 6.6 kW

    Installed price
    $5,200 to $6,800
    STC rebate, Zone 3
    $1,710
    You pay after the STC
    $3,490 to $5,090

  • 10 kW

    Installed price
    $7,500 to $10,000
    STC rebate, Zone 3
    $2,622
    You pay after the STC
    $4,878 to $7,378

  • 13 kW

    Installed price
    $10,000 to $15,000
    STC rebate, Zone 3
    $3,382
    You pay after the STC
    $6,618 to $11,618

The 6.6 kW and 10 kW prices are the Brisbane figures from our solar panel cost guide; the 5 kW and 13 kW prices are its national ranges. Installed prices are before any rebate. The STC rebate is the certificates each system creates in Zone 3 over the 2026 deeming period of 5 years, at $38 a certificate. The deeming period shortens by a year every 1 January, so the same system earns less rebate each year you wait.

The average system installed across Brisbane in the 12 months to October 2026 was 10.2 kW, between the 10 kW and 13 kW rows, although that average includes some business systems. Size yours on your own bills and roof, but it is a fair check on what your neighbours are putting up.

What moves a quote up or down: the panel and inverter brands, a second storey or a steep or tiled roof, and switchboard or meter work. The full breakdown is in our solar panel cost guide.

Payback in Brisbane

Payback is the after-rebate price divided by what the system saves each year. The saving comes from two places: the power you use yourself, which you no longer buy at around 30.0c per kWh, and the power you export, which earns the feed-in tariff.

  • 6.6 kW

    Yearly generation
    10,238 kWh
    Yearly saving
    $1,781
    You pay after the STC
    $3,490 to $5,090
    Simple payback
    2 to 2.9 years

  • 10 kW

    Yearly generation
    15,513 kWh
    Yearly saving
    $2,699
    You pay after the STC
    $4,878 to $7,378
    Simple payback
    1.8 to 2.7 years

Assumes 30% of the solar is used in the home at 30.0c per kWh, the average residential usage rate we hold for Queensland, and the other 70% is exported at 12.0c per kWh, the best single-rate feed-in tariff we can find for postcode 4000 (Origin Energy). That 30% is the share our suburb pages and calculators assume for a household out at work during the day. No battery, no price rises and no panel ageing are counted.

Using more of it yourself improves the numbers quickly, because a kWh used at home is worth 30.0c and an exported one 12.0c. At 50% self-consumption, which a household home through the day or one that runs the pool pump, dishwasher and hot water on a timer can reach, the 6.6 kW system saves about $2,150 a year in Brisbane and pays back in 1.6 to 2.4 years.

Your rebate in Brisbane

Up to $8,000+ in solar and battery rebates. One Why Solar Approved installer, one free written quote, and fifteen minutes with a solar expert before you sign.

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Batteries in Brisbane

The federal Cheaper Home Batteries rebate applies in Brisbane as it does everywhere. It is paid on usable capacity, at $258/kWh for the first 14 kWh and at lower rates above that, and like the STC rebate it comes off the price at the point of sale. It steps down on 1 January 2027, when the full rate falls to $217/kWh.

Battery rebates in Brisbane
Battery (usable)Federal rebate
10 kWh$2,584
14 kWh$3,610

The table is the federal rebate only: there is no QLD battery rebate that a typical household can count on.

Queensland: no state add-on.

Whether a battery pays in Brisbane comes down to the gap between what you pay for power and what you are paid for exporting it. Each kWh a battery moves from export into your evening is worth about 18.0c (30.0c less 12.0c). A 10 kWh battery that filled and emptied every day would be worth up to $657 a year on that gap alone; most do less in winter, when there is less surplus to store.

Battery prices by size, before and after the federal rebate, are in our battery cost guide, and the QLD battery rebate page has the state detail.

Installers in Brisbane

Our guide to the best solar installers in Brisbane looks at 7 companies that install across Greater Brisbane: Fallon Solutions, Springers Solar, MC Electrical, REA Solar, GI Energy, Positronic Solar and Solahart (Brisbane dealers). It compares accreditation, customer reviews, warranty terms, years in business and pricing.

Best solar installers in Brisbane

The guide is editorial: a company appearing in it is not the same as holding Why Solar approval.

When you check your rebate with us, you are matched with one Why Solar Approved installer in Brisbane. An installer has passed all six of our checks: credentials, staying power, proof of work, who actually turns up to do the job, what goes in, and how they handle trouble. They earn it before they see a single homeowner, and they lose it if they let one down. The installer never cold-calls you; the one call is from a solar expert, fifteen minutes before you sign.

Installer in hi-vis and a safety harness fitting solar panels to a tin roof

What's actually happening on roofs near you

Brisbane is 131 postcodes. Check yours, or any other.

What Brisbane homeowners ask us

Brisbane homeowners ask about batteries more than anywhere except South Australia, because the evening air conditioning load is exactly what a battery covers and the summer sun fills one easily. They ask about hail and storms, which come down to the mounting and the impact rating. And they ask who to trust, because the South East Queensland market has been the busiest in the country for a decade and has lost more installers than any other. Every installer we match here has passed the same six checks. Ask for the export limit on your street in writing and for a shade study done from the roof before you sign.

Questions people ask

How many homes in Brisbane installed solar in the last 12 months?
32,959 small-scale solar systems were installed across Brisbane's 131 postcodes in the 12 months to October 2026, averaging 10.2 kW. The figures are the Clean Energy Regulator's postcode data, not estimates.
What solar rebates apply in Brisbane?
Up to $8,000+ in solar and battery rebates apply in Brisbane, calculated from STC Zone 3 and the federal battery rebate. Queensland: no state add-on.
What is the best feed-in tariff in Brisbane?
The best single-rate feed-in tariff we can find for 4000 is 12.0c per kWh with Origin Energy. Rates change often; compare plans once your system is in.
How much does it cost to install solar panels in Brisbane?
A 6.6 kW system in Brisbane costs about $5,200 to $6,800 installed. The federal STC rebate in Zone 3 takes $1,710 off, so you pay about $3,490 to $5,090. A 10 kW system is $7,500 to $10,000 before the rebate and $4,878 to $7,378 after it. Prices move with the panels, the inverter, the roof and any switchboard work.
Is it worth getting solar in Brisbane?
For most owner-occupiers with a roof that gets sun, yes. A 6.6 kW system in Brisbane makes about 10,238 kWh a year from 5 peak sun hours a day. Using 30% of that at home and exporting the rest saves about $1,781 a year at today's rates, which pays back the after-rebate price in 2 to 2.9 years. It pays back faster if you use more of the power during the day, and more slowly on a shaded roof or a small bill.
Who is the best solar installer in Brisbane?
There is no single best installer for every home. Our guide to the best solar installers in Brisbane compares 7 companies, including Fallon Solutions, Springers Solar and MC Electrical, on accreditation, reviews, warranty terms and years trading. Whoever you choose, check the SAA accreditation, the workmanship warranty and how long the company has traded under its current ABN. If you check your rebate with us, you are matched with one Why Solar Approved installer who has passed all six of our checks.
What is the 20% rule for solar?
It is the rule of thumb that the panels should be rated 20 to 33 per cent above the inverter, such as 6.6 kW of panels on a 5 kW inverter. Panels rarely produce their full rating, so a slightly larger array keeps the inverter working near its capacity for more of the day. The Clean Energy Council's design guidelines, which the STC rules follow, allow panels up to a third larger than the inverter. That is why 6.6 kW is the standard size on a 5 kW inverter, and why 13.3 kW is the largest array on a 10 kW single-phase inverter.

Suburbs in the Brisbane figures

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Best solar installers in Brisbane

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Up to $8,000+ in solar and battery rebates · Federal rebates step down in 80 daysSee how we calculate this