The SRES creates a financial incentive for owners to install eligible small-scale power generators such as solar water heaters, heat pumps, solar panel systems, small-scale wind systems, or small-scale hydro systems. These systems create Small-scale Technology Certificates (STCs) that can be sold to Renewable Energy Target liable entities, such as electricity retailers.
Under the Federal Government’s SRES, when you install an eligible system, you may claim a set number of these STCs. This number is based on the (estimated) amount of electricity in megawatt hours (MWh):
- Generated by your small-scale solar panel, wind or hydro system over the course of its lifetime of up to 15 years; or
- Displaced by your solar water heater or heat pump over the course of its lifetime of up to 10 years.
The table below sets out the indicative level of support, across Australia, that would be provided through creation and sale of tradable STCs under the SRES for a 3kW solar panel system. Typically, installers manage the sale of the STCs and offer a discount on the price of an installation to reflect the expected value.
| City | Approximate level of support | |
| STC’s | Value | |
| Adelaide | 62 | $1,984 |
| Brisbane | 62 | $1,984 |
| Canberra | 62 | $1,984 |
| Darwin | 69 | $2,208 |
| Hobart | 53 | $1,696 |
| Melbourne | 53 | $1,696 |
| Perth | 62 | $1,984 |
| Sydney | 62 | $1,984 |