A decision path for WA businesses assessing load, site constraints, network connection and the commercial basis of a solar project.
Customers, Industry, Partners
Commercial solar should be scoped as an energy and connection project, not only an equipment purchase. Interval demand, operating hours, roof and switchboard constraints, network hosting capacity, export conditions and the status of any announced incentive all affect the viable design.
Work through the identity, evidence and delivery chain. One credential, component or headline figure does not establish that the complete proposal is suitable.
Use recent interval data, operating hours, seasonal demand and planned loads to distinguish useful on-site generation from unmanaged export.
Review roof condition and access, structural capacity, switchboards, metering, phases, fire and maintenance access, and the route to the point of connection.
System size, export intent and site characteristics determine the information and technical review required by Western Power. Approval should not be assumed from array capacity alone.
Treat the announced expansion of the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme as conditional until the final instrument and regulator guidance are operative.
State tariff, load, generation, degradation, curtailment, maintenance, financing and certificate assumptions so the business case can be tested.
Retain design inputs, connection correspondence, approvals, certificates, commissioning results and asset information for operations and future changes.
Establish the interval load, site constraints, network pathway and assumption register before fixing system capacity.
Commercial solar feasibility starts with interval demand, the point of connection and site constraints. Roof area and an advertised certificate value do not establish a viable system size.
Commercial solar connection is a separate workstream from equipment selection. This guide distinguishes Western Power's current technical review pathway from WA reforms that remain under consultation.
Track the announced certificate expansion and the WA work affecting larger distributed energy connections.
The Commonwealth will lift the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme's maximum eligible system size tenfold, from 100 kW to 1 MW. The change is scheduled for 1 October and remains subject to regulation.
The WA Government has published an issues paper with seven proposals to improve data quality and connection timeframes for solar, batteries and EV chargers on the SWIS.
The connection settings applying in WA since 1 May 2026: the 30 kVA inverter capacity cap, remote management, the 1.5 kW export fallback and the Region B inverter configuration.
Review the organisational and infrastructure context behind sustained commercial energy delivery.
Current operational references for installers and retailers working across WA solar, battery storage and distributed energy connections.
Buyer checksSolar and battery consumer protectionPractical checks for the business, contract and payment terms behind a solar or battery proposal.
No. Certificate eligibility and network connection are separate. Western Power assesses the proposed connection and may apply technical or export conditions.
At review on 14 August 2026, it remained an announced change scheduled for 1 October 2026 and subject to regulation. Current law and Clean Energy Regulator guidance should be checked before it is used in a proposal.
Not by itself. Interval demand, network limits, operating hours, future electrification and the commercial assumptions should shape capacity before unused roof area is treated as the target.
Early in feasibility. A project can be technically sound behind the meter while facing export, data or approval constraints at the network connection.
