Under the
Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme, eligible small-scale renewable energy systems are entitled to a number of small-scale technology certificates.
The number of certificates that can be created per system is based on its geographical location, installation date, and the amount of electricity in megawatt hours (MWh) that is:
- generated by the small-scale solar panel, wind or hydro system over one or five years, or a single maximum
deeming period, or
- displaced by the solar water heater or heat pump over the course of its lifetime of up to 10 years.
As a guide, one certificate is equal to one megawatt hour of eligible renewable electricity either generated or displaced by the system.
You can calculate the number of certificates a system may be eligible for using the
small generation unit STC calculator and
solar water heater STC calculator.
The
Renewable Energy Target is supported by an online registry system, called the
REC Registry, which facilitates the creation, validation, auditing and transfer of certificates
Once created and validated, these certificates act as a form of currency and can be sold to recoup a portion of the cost of purchasing and installing the system, or transferred to other individuals and businesses at a negotiated price.
Learn more about
creating,
buying and selling and
failed certificates.