Australia’s Queensland increases solar FiT by 17%

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Queensland's FiT rate is 17.3% higher than last year’s tariff of AU$0.06348/kWh, mainly due to an increase in wholesale energy costs. Flickr: michael Coghlan

The Australian state of Queensland is raising its solar feed-in tariff (FiT) by 17.3% for 2016/17 in response to an increase in wholesale energy costs.

The Queensland Competition Authority’s (QCA) final report on a mandatory solar FiT for customers set the subsidy at AU$0.07448/kWh (US$0.05), up significantly from 2015/16.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

QCA chair Roy Green said: “This rate is 17.3% higher than last year’s tariff of AU$0.06348/kWh, mainly due to an increase in wholesale energy costs. This was driven by increased demand from Queensland-based liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants and higher fuel costs for gas-fired generation.”

“The QCA’s approach ensures customers with solar panels, receive a fair return for the energy they export to the grid. The QCA calculates the true market value of the energy.”

Green added that the minister for energy and water supply, Mark Bailey, had directed the QCA to set a suitable FiT for 2016/17 for customers in regional Queensland using the same methodology as in the previous two years so that it is “fair and reasonable”.

However, customers receiving the AU$0.44/kWh FiT under the Solar Bonus Scheme will not be affected by the new tariff. In February, the state government of Queensland, which is the largest market in Australia for sub-100kW solar systems, ruled out proposals for retrospective cuts to the state’s Solar Bonus Scheme.

Read Next

October 8, 2025
The NSW Independent Planning Commission has granted planning approval for Potentia Energy's 500MW Tallawang solar-plus-storage project.
Premium
October 8, 2025
PV Talk: Smart Energy Council's Nigel Morris reflects on how Australia has become a global testbed for distributed solar and storage innovation.
October 8, 2025
University of Sydney scientists have created the largest and most efficient triple-junction perovskite-perovskite-silicon solar cell on record.
October 8, 2025
Australia's NEM achieved a new minimum operational demand record of 9,666MW, marking a 4% decrease from the previous record.
October 8, 2025
Frontier Energy plans to expand its Waroona Renewable Energy Project into a renewable energy precinct by 2031, targeting up to 1GW solar.
October 7, 2025
Rystad Energy has said that Queensland’s utility-solar assets were the best-performing solar PV power plants in September 2025.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
October 21, 2025
New York, USA
Solar Media Events
November 25, 2025
Warsaw, Poland
Solar Media Events
December 2, 2025
Málaga, Spain
Solar Media Events
February 3, 2026
London, UK