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Transition to the new accreditation scheme operator

All accredited designers and installers must transfer to the new operator by 29 May 2024. Find out more about the transition and what you need to do.

With the support of the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources, we conducted an integrity review of the Australian rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) sector in 2020.

Read the integrity review

The review looked at the sector's unprecedented growth and consumer complaints. These included:

  • defective installations
  • misuse of installer accreditation details
  • safety and quality concerns.

The Australian Government accepted 12 out of 13 recommendations we made. Our recommendations covered:

  • tightening Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme eligibility requirements for installers, solar panels and inverters
  • promoting better consumer outcomes, including new legal obligations for solar retailers.

The government committed $19.2 million to carry out our recommendations.

Find out more about the government's response to the review.

Changes to the scheme

Phase one

The Renewable Energy (Electricity) Amendment (Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme and Other Measures) Regulations 2021 became law on 17 December 2021. The amendments:

  • streamline reporting requirements for installers, solar retailers and manufacturers
  • give us a more direct role in setting requirements for approved solar PV components
  • improve other aspects of the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme.

We started putting in place the amendments during 2022 and will complete them in 2024.

We changed the solar PV requirements in April 2022 for each participant under the scheme. This included:

  • new and updated installer and designer written statements
  • new requirements for solar retailer written statements
  • changes to the eligibility of components.

Read about the current requirements for each participant:

We can now declare non-compliant industry participants ineligible to take part in the scheme. This helps:

  • ensure the integrity of the scheme
  • maintain the integrity of the rooftop solar PV sector
  • provide benefits to participants doing the right thing.

Phase 2

In late 2022, we consulted industry participants about whether we should nominate an organisation to publish solar panel and inverter product lists. We received 175 submissions. The majority supported the nomination.

Following the consultation, we opened an application round in June 2023. We are currently assessing applications in accordance with the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Regulations 2001. We expect to announce the proposed nomination between March and April 2024.

We will make the final nomination after the required 28-day submission process.

Until decided, the Clean Energy Council will continue to publish approved solar panel and inverter product lists.

After an application round, we announced Solar Accreditation Australia as the new accreditation scheme operator in February 2024.

Accredited designers and installers must transfer to the new operator by 29 May 2024.

To ensure solar panels meet Australian standards, we introduced a solar panel testing program in 2022. The program aims to improve the quality of solar panels by checking:

  • for any visual indications of fault or damage
  • their power output performance in a ‘standard’ test environment
  • for microcracks, finger interruptions, non-uniform cells and shunts using infrared photography
  • for any moisture penetration when panels are submerged in water
  • their performance in high temperatures and humidity.

We publish the results of each testing round we undertake.