Solar for schools
Solar for schools,
with the STC rebate off the price.
A school uses most of its power between the first bell and the last, which is exactly when solar makes it. The federal STC rebate takes a real share off the price, and it is worth more if the system goes in before 31 December. Send us a recent bill and we will show your business manager and your board what it adds up to.
Why schools suit solar
Your busiest hours are the sunniest ones.
Most businesses have to shift their day to make good use of solar. A school already runs on the right timetable.
The school day
Lights, air conditioning, computers and canteens all run while the panels are producing. Power you make and use on the spot is the power worth the most, because you are not buying it from the grid.
Holidays, sized honestly
A school sits mostly empty for around twelve weeks a year. We size the system to what you use in term, not to fill the roof, so you are not paying for panels that mostly export at holiday rates.
Ready for the board
Your yearly saving, the 10 and 15 year figures, the recommended system, what the STC rebate takes off and the carbon figure, in writing and laid out so a business manager can put it straight into a board or council paper.
Capital, if you need it
If the capital works budget is already spoken for, Total Care lets us fund, build and run the system while the school pays a fixed rate for the power it uses. No capital outlay, and fees apply under the agreement.
The STC rebate in plain words
What comes off the price,
and how.
STC stands for Small-scale Technology Certificate. A new solar system creates them, they are worth money, and we turn them into a discount on your quote.
- Three things set the number. How big the system is, where the school is, and how many years the scheme has left to run.
- It comes off the price. We create and sell the certificates and take the value off your quote, so there is nothing to claim back later.
- The price of a certificate moves. We work ours out at $34 to $38, below the $40 ceiling, and every quote shows the price and the date we used.
- Up to 1 MW from 1 October 2026. The regulations have been amended, so systems installed from 1 October 2026 are covered up to 1 MW, up from 100 kW. Read more in the 1 MW change.
- We handle the paperwork. Eligibility, certificates and network approval, so nobody at the school has to learn a scheme rule.
Why 31 December matters
The summer holidays are the obvious time to install.
They also cross the step down.
The rebate is set by the day the system is installed. A system finished in 2026 is counted over 5 years. From 1 January 2027 it is 4. Here is the same school system either side of that line.
684 certificates off the price of a 99 kW system.
547 certificates off the price of the same system.
Same roof, same panels, same school. Finishing a few weeks later costs about $4,700 to $5,200 in rebate.
Example only: a 99 kW system in the zone covering Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Canberra, at $34 to $38 a certificate, worked out on the Clean Energy Regulator method and rounded down. The scheme ceiling is $40 and certificates trade below it, so your own quote will differ. Network approval runs on its own timeline, which is why it is worth starting in term three rather than term four.
Questions business managers ask
Before it goes to the board.
What is the STC rebate?
It is the federal government's small scale solar incentive. A new solar system creates Small-scale Technology Certificates, known as STCs, based on its size, where it is, and how many years the scheme has left to run. We claim and sell those certificates for you and take the value off the price, so the school pays less at the start and nobody on staff has to deal with the paperwork.
Does the government pay for the system?
No. The STC rebate reduces the price of the system, it does not cover the whole of it. How much it takes off depends on the size of the system, your location, the year it is installed and the certificate price at the time, which is why we put the date and the price we used on every figure.
Why does installing before 31 December matter?
The number of certificates a system creates drops each year until the scheme ends in 2030. A system installed in 2026 is counted over 5 years. From 1 January 2027 it is 4. The date that counts is when the system is installed, not when the contract is signed, so a project that slips into the summer holidays and finishes in January gets about a fifth less.
We need more than 100 kW. Is that covered?
Yes, if it is installed from 1 October 2026. The regulations have been amended and the STC rebate now covers systems up to 1 MW installed from that date, which brings larger campuses into the same rebate. The Clean Energy Regulator expects to open STC applications for these systems in mid to late November 2026. We will tell you exactly where your project sits on the day we quote.
Are government schools eligible?
The rebate applies to the system, not the type of school. In practice, government schools generally go through their state education department, so check with them first. This page is mainly for independent, Catholic and private schools, colleges and early learning centres that make their own energy decisions.
Should we add a battery?
Sometimes. A school uses most of its power while the sun is up, so solar alone often does the heavy lifting. A battery earns its place where there is a demand charge on the bill, or real evening use such as a hall, a pool, outside school hours care or boarding. Your bill shows which, and if a battery does not make financial sense we will say so.
Will the install disrupt classes?
We plan the roof work around your timetable and keep work areas separated from students. The power goes off once, for a few hours, on a date you choose, usually a weekend or a pupil free day, and we confirm it in writing a week ahead.
What do you need from us?
One recent electricity bill, the whole thing, because on a school bill the demand charge is often on its own page. If you have more than one meter or campus, send one bill for each. That is enough for us to work out your numbers.
Your bill already has most of the answers
Send us your school's latest electricity bill and we will show you where the money is going, how much solar could potentially save, whether a battery makes financial sense, the recommended system size, what the STC rebate takes off, your estimated savings over 10 and 15 years and your CO2 reduction. It is at no cost and no obligation, and we will tell you if solar is not the right fit.
Zool Energy is a Clean Energy Council Approved Retailer and member, a New Energy Tech Approved Seller and an AFCA member. STC rebate figures depend on system size, location, installation date, eligibility and the certificate price at the time, so any figure is indicative and carries the date it was calculated. Systems from 100 kW to 1 MW are eligible only if installed on or after 1 October 2026 (Clean Energy Regulator, updated 18 September 2026). Savings figures are worked out from your own bill and are indicative only.