What is the solar feed-in tariff in South Australia in 2026?

The 30-second take

• South Australia has no regulated minimum feed-in tariff. Every retailer sets its own.
• Typical 2026 offers sit around 5–8c/kWh; some plans advertise 8–10c on a capped daily block, and the median across all plans is far lower.
• SA Power Networks applies a solar export charge on some tariffs during the middle of the day, roughly 10am to 4pm, when the grid is saturated — the "solar sponge" period.
• SA was the only region where the Default Market Offer rose on 1 July 2026, by about 1.4%. Usage rates on the SA Power Networks area are the highest in the country at around 42–44c/kWh.
• A self-consumed kilowatt-hour in Adelaide is worth five to eight times an exported one. That ratio is the whole case for a battery in SA.

Who sets the rate in SA

Nobody, in the regulatory sense. South Australia has no minimum feed-in tariff and no published benchmark of the IPART kind. The Australian Energy Regulator publishes guidance on how to compare offers, and the Essential Services Commission of South Australia oversees retail licensing, but the number on your bill is set by your retailer alone.

That has been true for years, and it is why SA feed-in tariffs vary so widely between plans. Third-party trackers put typical competitive offers around 5 to 8 cents per kilowatt-hour in 2026, with some plans advertising 8 to 10 cents on the first few kilowatt-hours exported each day and a much lower rate beyond that block.

The midday export charge

South Australia has more rooftop solar per household than any other state, and on mild sunny days the network is exporting more than it can use. SA Power Networks responded with a two-way tariff that retailers may pass through: a small charge for exports during the middle of the day, roughly 10am to 4pm, and a higher credit for exports in the evening peak.

Not every retailer passes it on and not every plan carries it, but it is now part of the landscape. Read the export section of any plan you are considering, and if you are on a two-way tariff, treat midday exports as roughly worthless and evening exports as the only ones worth chasing.

“In South Australia the grid does not want your midday solar. It will pay you for it after 5pm, and on some tariffs it will charge you for it at noon.”

What you pay versus what you are paid

The Default Market Offer for 2026–27 rose about 1.4 per cent in South Australia, the only region in the National Electricity Market where prices went up. Usage rates on the SA Power Networks area sit around 42 to 44 cents per kilowatt-hour on typical plans, the highest in Australia.

Set 43 cents against a 5 to 8 cent feed-in tariff and every kilowatt-hour you use yourself is worth five to eight times one you export. No other state has a gap that wide, which is why South Australia has the strongest battery economics in the country before any rebate is applied.

• Shift everything you can into daylight. Hot water, pool, washing, EV charging.
• A battery does more in SA than anywhere else. Each stored kilowatt-hour converts a 5 cent export into a 43 cent avoided purchase.
• Look at VPP plans carefully. Several SA retailers pay more for battery exports during grid events; the terms vary a lot.
• Compare whole-of-bill. SA’s wide spread in usage rates swamps any difference in feed-in tariffs.

What this means if you are buying solar now

Size for self-consumption and plan for storage from the start, even if the battery comes later. A quote that sells you on export income in Adelaide is selling you the wrong thing.

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.

Read next

• How feed-in tariffs work, and why they keep falling
• Two-way export pricing, explained
• South Australian solar and battery rebates
• Are solar batteries worth it?
• What size solar battery do you need?

Sources

• aer.gov.au — Default Market Offer 2026–27 final determination
• aer.gov.au — solar feed-in tariffs: how to compare offers
• energyplans.com.au — South Australia solar feed-in tariffs (rates as at 18 September 2026)
• energy.gov.au — solar feed-in tariffs