Average residential solar system prices have held steady into the new year since flattening out in November of last year. Canberra is home to the most expensive systems, while Perth is home to the least expensive.
January 2014 average solar PV system prices
All prices in the table below include the federal STC incentive which installers ordinarily include in final system prices. GST is also included.
Solar system prices for January: Dollar-per-watt averages, highs & lows
About STCs
STCs accounted for a price reduction of approximately 69c/W for Zone 3 cities (Sydney, Canberra, Perth, Adelaide, and Brisbane), and around 63c/W for Melbourne & Tasmania.
Components used
The table below contains the brands of inverters and solar modules used in installations as listed by installers. ‘Premium’ product offerings are not included.
| City | Panel brands used | Inverter brands used |
| Adelaide, SA | ReneSola, Simax, Lightway, Jinko, Q.CELLS, Trina, BenQ, Yingli | SolarMax, Growatt, Fronius, Aurora Power-One, Zever, Samil, SMA, Delta |
| Brisbane, QLD | ReneSola, LG, Jinko, Luxen, Canadian Solar, Suntech | SolarMax, Samil, JFY, SMA, Growatt, Eltek, Fronius, Zever, Xantrex-Schneider |
| Canberra, ACT | Jinko, Q.CELLS, ReneSola, Solar Juice, Trina, Yingli | Power-One Aurora, Delta, Fronius, Growatt, JFY, Samil, SMA |
| Melbourne, VIC | ReneSola, Solarworld, Jinko, Yingli, Solar Juice, Canadian Solar | SolarMax, SMA, Fronius, Samil, Aurora Power-One |
| Tasmania | ReneSola, Jinko, Yingli | SolarMax, Fronius, Aurora Power-One |
| Sydney, NSW | ReneSola, Jinko, Top Solar, Hanwha, Trina, Solar Juice, Yingli, Hanwha | SolarMax, Fronius, Samil, Eversolar, SMA, Aurora Power-One, Samil, UNO |
| Perth, WA | Jinko, Solar Juice, ET Solar | Fronius, JFY, Aurora Power-One, Samil, Delta, GoodWe, SMA |
Historic solar PV system prices (since August 2012)
Indexed $/W solar system prices (Historic)
The chart below provides an at-a-glance look at solar PV system pricing trends since September 2012. Data points are the average of average $/W for each system size (1.5kW-5kW until Nov 2013, then also including 10kW from Dec 2013).
About this data
Tables and charts included in this article were compiled using data from Solar Choice’s installer network database, which contains regularly-updated pricing and product details from over 125 solar installation companies across Australia. Prices do not ordinarily incorporate meter installation fees or additional costs for difficult installations. The discount available to Solar Choice customers is also excluded from calculations, as are prices for ‘premium’ installer offerings. Except in the final chart, average pricing figures for all of Australia are not weighted.
About Solar Choice
Solar Choice provides an impartial solar energy Quote Comparison service for Australian consumers by delivering market transparency from a network of over 100 leading installers nation-wide. Since 2008, we’ve delivered our free Solar Quote Comparisons to over 85,000 Australian households. Solar Choice’s commercial wing, Solar Choice Commercial, compares the market for systems from 30kW to 100kW, and manages tenders for projects up to 2MW. Solar Choice also develops its own very large-scale solar farm projects.
© 2015 Solar Choice Pty Ltd
