Commercial Solar Installers in Brisbane

Commercial solar is not residential solar made larger. The return depends on how much of your generation you consume on site rather than export, the incentives work differently above and below 100kW, and grid connection for a commercial system is a process rather than a form. The installer you choose determines whether any of that is handled properly.

This page sets out what we are accredited to do, how we design and quote a commercial system, and how connection works in South East Queensland.

What we are accredited to do

• SAA accredited installer. Installer accreditation moved from the Clean Energy Council to Solar Accreditation Australia in 2024. This is the accreditation that allows a system to claim Small-scale Technology Certificates.
• Clean Energy Council Approved Solar Retailer. A separate voluntary standard covering how a company sells, quotes and handles after-sales service.
• Licensed electrical work. All electrical work carried out under licence, with compliance documentation issued on completion.
• 12-year workmanship warranty. Separate from product warranties, and the one that covers the installation itself.
• Energex connection handled. Applications, export limitation and metering arrangements are our responsibility, not your facilities manager’s.

Ask any commercial installer for their accreditation number, their electrical licence and an example of a system they have connected at your scale. All three are reasonable questions.

The systems we install

We have worked in commercial solar since 2008, which is when the Directors concluded that larger systems needed a dedicated approach rather than a scaled-up residential one.

Systems typically run from 30kW on a small site up to 500kW and beyond for high-consumption operations: warehouses, manufacturing sites, offices, retail and cold storage. We also install commercial battery storage, and our case studies include a 30kW system with 36.2kWh of storage at Acacia Ridge.

How we design a commercial system

The first thing we ask for is your interval data, not your roof plan.

Interval data shows when your site actually draws power, in half-hour blocks, across a full billing period. Read against your current tariff it tells us how much of a given system size you would self-consume, what your export position would be, and where your demand charges are falling. That produces a system size and a payback figure you can put in front of a board, rather than a rule of thumb based on roof area.

It also stops the most expensive commercial mistake: a system sized to the roof rather than to the load, generating power at times the site does not use it, exported at a rate that does not repay the capital.

Where peak demand charges are a significant part of your bill, that changes the design, and sometimes points to storage rather than to more panels.

How we quote

• Interval data analysis against your current tariff and retailer agreement.
• Site inspection. Roof type and condition, structural considerations, switchboard capacity, cable routes, access and safety requirements.
• Fixed itemised quote. Panel and inverter make, model and quantity. Incentives shown as their own line so you can see gross and net. Warranties split out.
• Financial case. Payback, and the depreciation position where it applies to your business.
• Approvals and installation. Energex application lodged by us, works programmed around your operating hours, compliance paperwork on completion.

Current pricing by system size is set out in our commercial solar cost guide.

Incentives and grid connection in South East Queensland

Commercial systems can qualify for Small-scale Technology Certificates up to 100kW, and for Large-scale Generation Certificates above it. The two schemes work differently: STCs are claimed once, up front, and come off the installed price. LGCs are generated annually over the life of the system and are sold separately, which makes them an ongoing revenue line rather than a discount.

Which applies to you depends on system size, and a system sitting close to the 100kW boundary deserves modelling both ways before you commit.

Grid connection is the part most commonly underestimated. Energex assesses commercial applications on network capacity at your location, and the outcome can include an export limit, a requirement for export control equipment, or metering changes. This is why we lodge the application rather than leaving it with you, and why connection timing rather than installation time usually drives the project schedule.

What comes off the top changes as schemes open and close. Our Queensland rebates guide is kept current.

What we can show you

A solar test facility on our own roof at Darra, running sixteen panel brands side by side with individual optimisers so we can read each one. It has been running for over seven years and it decides which products we are prepared to install. The results are published in full, including the finding that the highest-yielding panel in the test was also the worst value per dollar.

Sixty-eight documented installations, each with the suburb, system size and storage capacity. Browse the case studies and check them against any proposal you have been given.

Where we install

We are based at 4/38 Limestone Street, Darra, and install commercial systems across Brisbane and South East Queensland, including Moreton Bay, Redlands, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast.

For the detail on the technology and the financial case, see our commercial solar page. For residential work, see our Brisbane installers page.

Frequently Asked Questions

What size commercial system do we need?

It is determined by your consumption pattern rather than your roof area. We size from interval data read against your current tariff, so the system matches what your site actually draws during daylight hours.

Do you need our interval data before quoting?

It produces a far better answer. Your electricity retailer can supply it on request, usually at no cost. Without it, any commercial payback figure is an estimate built on assumptions about your load.

How long does a commercial installation take?

Installation time depends on system size and roof access, but the schedule is normally driven by Energex connection approval rather than by the installation itself. We give you both timelines separately at quote stage.

Will solar disrupt our operations?

Rooftop work is generally carried out without interrupting the site. The connection stage requires a planned shutdown, which we programme around your operating hours.

What is the difference between STCs and LGCs?

STCs apply to systems up to 100kW and are claimed once as an upfront reduction in the installed price. LGCs apply above 100kW, are generated annually over the system life and are sold separately. A system near the boundary should be modelled both ways.

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