Grid & connection

What is the solar feed-in tariff in Queensland for 2026–27?

It depends which half of the state you are in. Regional Queensland has a regulated rate of 6.006 cents per kilowatt-hour from 1 July 2026. South-east Queensland — Brisbane, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast — is retailer-set, and most offers sit between 3 and 10 cents.

By Kieron Taylor, Founder, Solar Select · Updated · 6 min read

The 30-second take

  • Regional Queensland (Ergon Energy network): 6.006c/kWh from 1 July 2026, set by the Queensland Competition Authority. That is 31% below the 2025–26 rate of 8.660c.
  • South-east Queensland (Energex network): no regulated rate. Retailers compete, typically 3–10c/kWh, often with a daily export cap on the higher rates.
  • The QCA sets the regional rate on an "avoided cost" basis — what a retailer saves by buying your export instead of wholesale power. Wholesale prices fell, so the tariff fell.
  • Default Market Offer prices fell about 7% in south-east Queensland on 1 July 2026, but usage rates still sit around 28–33c/kWh. Self-consumed solar is worth five to ten times exported solar.
  • Legacy Solar Bonus Scheme customers on 44c are unaffected as long as they keep their eligibility.

Regional Queensland: the regulated rate

If your electricity comes through Ergon Energy — broadly everywhere north of Gympie and west of the Great Dividing Range — your feed-in tariff is set by the Queensland Competition Authority under a direction from the state Treasurer. For 2026–27 the QCA’s final determination, published on 5 June 2026, sets it at 6.006 cents per kilowatt-hour from 1 July 2026.

That is a 31 per cent cut from the 8.660 cents paid in 2025–26, which was itself a cut from 12.377 cents the year before. The QCA’s fact sheet is blunt about the direction: customers should not expect the tariff to remain the same when deciding whether to install or upgrade a system.

“The regional Queensland tariff has gone from 12.4 cents to 6.0 cents in two years. The regulator says not to plan on it staying where it is.”

Why it fell

The QCA uses an avoided-cost method: the tariff is what a retailer avoids paying in the wholesale market by taking your exported kilowatt-hour instead. Of the 6.006 cents, 5.572 cents is wholesale energy cost and 0.434 cents is other avoided costs.

Two things pulled it down for 2026–27. Wholesale energy costs fell, taking 2.459 cents off. And the QCA now has export data from advanced digital meters, which lets it value solar at the time it is actually exported — mostly the middle of the day, when wholesale prices are lowest.

South-east Queensland: retailer-set

On the Energex network — Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan, the Gold and Sunshine Coasts — there is no regulated feed-in tariff and never has been under the current framework. Retailers set their own rate as a competitive lever. Third-party trackers put the 2026 market range at roughly 3 to 10 cents per kilowatt-hour, with the higher rates usually capped at a daily export block and often attached to plans with higher usage charges.

The Default Market Offer for south-east Queensland fell about 7 per cent on 1 July 2026, the biggest fall in the National Electricity Market. Usage rates still sit around 28 to 33 cents per kilowatt-hour on typical plans, so a self-consumed kilowatt-hour is worth several times an exported one whichever retailer you are with.

  • Don’t choose a retailer on the feed-in line. Run your actual usage and export through the whole plan.
  • Check the daily cap on any rate above 5 cents.
  • Shift load into daylight — pool pumps and hot water are the big ones in Queensland.
  • If you are on the 44 cent Solar Bonus Scheme, do not change the system in a way that voids eligibility without doing the maths first.

What this means if you are buying solar now

Queensland has the country’s best solar resource and some of its cheapest installs, and the return still comes almost entirely from the power you use rather than the power you sell. Size for daytime consumption and the battery or EV you expect to add.

Get matched with 2-3 vetted solar installers — typically 2+ years in business, with a track record of decent reviews — and ask each of them to model your savings on self-consumption, with exports as the footnote.

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Sources

Every quantitative claim on this page traces to one of the sources below — government, manufacturer, or independent AU industry reference. Last verified 2026-09-18.

We use AI to help research and draft. Claims are traced to the sources below and dated. Where we haven’t got a source, we say so on the page — treat that as a starting point and do your own research.

General information only. It doesn’t take your circumstances into account and isn’t legal, financial, insurance or electrical advice. Rebates, tariffs, network rules and product terms change — confirm anything you plan to rely on with your installer, insurer, retailer or distributor, and see our terms.

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