Solar panels in Melbourne
PVGIS climate data puts Melbourne at roughly 1,382 kWh per kWp each year, so a typical 6 kWp roof makes around 8,289 kWh. Postcode 3000 falls in STC zone 4 (zone rating 1.185), not zone 3, in the Clean Energy Regulator table. Four verified local rules and their sources are listed below. Compared with the Australia reference point on our country page, Melbourne produces 8% less per kWp. No other city we cover in Australia has a lower yield than Melbourne. For comparison, Perth reaches 1,618. Year-one savings come to about AUD 1,100, for a simple payback of 6.4 years. The best month, January, yields 2.1 times the worst, June.
Month by month in Melbourne
Modelled output of a 6 kWp system at 35° facing north (towards the equator), from PVGIS climate data (PVGIS-ERA5, 2005 to 2023).
| Month | kWh | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| January | 890 | 10.7% |
| February | 788 | 9.5% |
| March | 774 | 9.3% |
| April | 614 | 7.4% |
| May | 496 | 6.0% |
| June | 419 | 5.1% |
| July | 495 | 6.0% |
| August | 590 | 7.1% |
| September | 711 | 8.6% |
| October | 820 | 9.9% |
| November | 811 | 9.8% |
| December | 881 | 10.6% |
- Best month: January (890 kWh). Weakest: June (419 kWh), a 2.1x difference.
- January, October, December produce 31.3% of the year; May, June, July produce 17%.
- Year-to-year variation: about 252 kWh (3.0%, one standard deviation).
- Sunlight reaching the panels: 1,813 kWh per m² a year.
Local rules and support in Melbourne
Rules set by the city or its region, on top of the national scheme. Each one was checked against the official source on the date shown.
- Postcode 3000 (Melbourne)
STC postcode zone 4
Postcode 3000 falls in STC zone 4 (zone rating 1.185), not zone 3, in the Clean Energy Regulator table. Zone 4 attracts fewer certificates per kW than zone 3.
Source: Clean Energy Regulator, Postcode zone ratings and zones for solar (photovoltaic) systems (as of 1 January 2020) (checked 2026-09-25)
- Victoria
No minimum feed-in tariff since 1 July 2025
The Essential Services Commission no longer sets a minimum feed-in tariff in Victoria. Since 1 July 2025 retailers set their own feed-in tariffs, which cannot be below zero.
Source: Essential Services Commission (Victoria), Minimum feed-in tariff (checked 2026-09-25)
- Victoria
Victorian Default Offer 2026-27
For 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027 the Victorian Default Offer fell by an average of 5% for households. The average flat-tariff bill at 4,000 kWh a year is $1,591, ranging from $1,481 (CitiPower) to $1,748 (AusNet) across the five distribution zones.
Source: Essential Services Commission (Victoria), Regulator reduces Victorian default electricity prices (25 May 2026) (checked 2026-09-25)
- Victoria (Solar Victoria)
Solar Homes solar panel rebate
Solar Victoria offers eligible households a rebate of up to $1,400 for solar panels, plus an optional interest-free loan of up to $1,400. Eligibility includes combined owner income under $150,000 and property value under $3 million; rebates are released monthly (page updated 21 September 2026).
Source: Solar Victoria, Solar panel (PV) rebate (checked 2026-09-25)
How Melbourne compares
Melbourne ranks 4 of 4 for yield among the cities we model in Australia, and 16 of 41 across every country on Solar Figures. Within one country the prices are the same, so a payback gap between these cities comes from sunshine alone.
| City | kWh per kWp / yr | Payback (AUD) |
|---|---|---|
| Perth | 1,618 | 5.3 yrs |
| Sydney | 1,502 | 5.7 yrs |
| Brisbane | 1,469 | 5.8 yrs |
| Melbourne | 1,382 | 6.4 yrs |
| National reference point (country page) | 1,498 | 5.7 yrs |
Closest yield abroad: Bangalore (1,403 kWh per kWp), New York (1,350 kWh per kWp), Houston (1,341 kWh per kWp).
What moves the payback in Melbourne
Power you use yourself is worth the retail price (A$0.33 per kWh); power you export earns A$0.05. So the share you use at home, by running appliances in daylight or adding a battery, changes the payback. The system cost stays the same in every row (a battery would add to it).
| Used at home | Year-1 savings | Payback |
|---|---|---|
| 20% | A$870 | 8.3 yrs |
| 30% (our default) | A$1,100 | 6.4 yrs |
| 50% | A$1,559 | 4.5 yrs |
| 70% | A$2,019 | 3.4 yrs |
- Net system cost after incentives: A$6,747 for 6 kWp.
- Incentive modelled: A$1,353 (SRES STC point-of-sale rebate (~226 AUD/kWp: Zone 4 1.185 x 5-yr deeming (2026) x ~38 AUD/STC); declines one deeming year each 1 Jan to 2030).
- 25-year net savings at our default: A$28,557.
Best panel angle in Melbourne
At latitude 37.81°S, PVGIS finds the fixed tilt and direction that maximise yearly output. Our figures use a common 35° roof; the table shows what the optimum adds.
| Setup | Tilt | Facing | kWh per kWp / yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard roof (used on this page) | 35° | north | 1,382 |
| PVGIS optimum (tilt only, facing the equator) | 34° | north (1°) | 1,382 |
In Melbourne a 35° roof is already at the optimum. Most of a roof's value comes from its direction: a roof facing away from the equator loses far more than a few degrees of tilt.
See the full Australia picture on our Australia solar page, or the national incentives in our Australia solar guide.
Sources and method
Figures computed 2026-09-25 for a 6 kWp system, 35° tilt, 14% system losses, terrain shading on. An estimate, not a quote: your installer's quote will be exact.
- PVGIS 5.3 PVcalc (PVGIS-ERA5), European Commission JRC (checked 2026-09-25)
- Australia tariff and incentive inputs (see DATA_SOURCES.md) (checked 2026-06-21)
- Australia tariff and incentive inputs (see DATA_SOURCES.md) (checked 2026-06-21)
- Essential Services Commission (Victoria): Minimum feed-in tariff (checked 2026-09-25)
- Essential Services Commission (Victoria): Regulator reduces Victorian default electricity prices (25 May 2026) (checked 2026-09-25)
- Solar Victoria: Solar panel (PV) rebate (checked 2026-09-25)
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