Data & press · Australia

Australian electricity & solar data, free to cite

Solar Pays Off publishes independent, source-backed figures for every state on the national electricity market — built from the Australian Energy Regulator's Consumer Data Right retail plan data and the Clean Energy Regulator's zone ratings, not from installer estimates. Every figure below is free to quote. Founder Brendan Faulds is available as a named source.

By Brendan Faulds, founder of Solar Pays Off · Data as at 24 August 2026 · Page last revised 5 September 2026 · How we work · Independent — no lead forms, no solar-industry funding

Key figures, 2026

42.9c
dearest power: South Australia (per kWh)
25.4c
cheapest power: Tasmania
8.8×
what power costs vs what exporting it pays
2.9 years
fastest payback: South Australia

Averages across the 6 states and territories on the National Energy Customer Framework: 30.6c/kWh to buy, 3.5c/kWh paid to export. Western Australia and the Northern Territory sit outside that framework and are not covered rather than estimated.

Every state, ranked

Electricity rate, feed-in tariff, STC rebate and solar payback by state
State Power price Feed-in STC rebate Payback
South Australia 42.9c 1.5c $950 2.9 years
Australian Capital Territory 31.8c 3.0c $1,254 3.6 years
New South Wales 29.8c 3.0c $1,368 3.8 years
Queensland 28.3c 3.0c $1,444 4.0 years
Victoria 25.4c 1.0c $1,596 5.8 years
Tasmania 25.4c 9.3c $1,596 4.0 years

Payback assumes a $180/month bill, $1.00/W installed before the rebate, and a system sized to that household's own use. STC rebates are computed at $38 per certificate for a 3.6–7.2 kW system in each state's zone. Full method: Australian methodology.

Where solar pays back fastest

  1. South Australia — 2.9 years
  2. Australian Capital Territory — 3.6 years
  3. New South Wales — 3.8 years
  4. Queensland — 4.0 years
  5. Tasmania — 4.0 years

Best and worst feed-in tariffs

  1. Tasmania — 9.3c/kWh
  2. Australian Capital Territory — 3.0c/kWh
  3. New South Wales — 3.0c/kWh

Lowest: Victoria at 1.0c/kWh. Across the market a household is paid roughly 8.8 times less for a unit of power than it pays for the same unit — which is why the value of a rooftop system in Australia is in using what it makes, not in selling it.

Using these figures

Free to quote or chart, including commercially. We ask for attribution and a link.

Suggested citation

Source: Solar Pays Off (solarpaysoff.com), from Australian Energy Regulator and Clean Energy Regulator data, 2026-08-24.

Brand files, boilerplate and editorial standards: media kit. Contact hello@solarpaysoff.com for the underlying figures in another format, or for comment.