When will plug-in solar be legal across Australia?

Plug-in solar is a national topic now, but only one state has put rules on paper. The WA consultation paper is blunt about where things stand: “Plug-in generators cannot currently be used legally in any Australian state or territory.” This page covers what the national government and the other states have said, and why the standards are the hard part.

What did the energy ministers agree?

To look into it, not to legalise it. The Energy and Climate Change Ministerial Council, the Commonwealth, state and territory energy ministers, met on 11 September 2026. Its communique says:

At the same meeting, ministers endorsed a Consumer Energy National Technical Regulatory Framework. Alongside “forthcoming Commonwealth legislation”, it is meant to set a nationally consistent approach to the technical rules for rooftop solar, home batteries and EV chargers. The communique says the framework still gives states and territories flexibility to go further than the Commonwealth rules.

What has Chris Bowen said?

That it will take time. The federal Minister for Climate Change and Energy said, as reported by RenewEconomy: “This is not happening overnight, we have to get it right, and the work on the standards is very important.” He also said: “I’m delighted the states and territories unanimously agreed with me … to begin that work.”

Solar Citizens quoted him from a press conference the day after the meeting saying “we’ve got a lot of work to do on safety and on standards” and “States will need to review their Strata laws.” RenewEconomy reported him saying landlord, tenant and strata rules may be among the most complicated parts.

Why are plug-in kits blocked by Australian standards?

Mainly because the inverter standard assumes solar is hard-wired. The WA consultation paper describes AS/NZS 4777.1:2024 this way: it “specifically requires inverters to be permanently wired to a site’s switchboard”, and “the hard-wiring requirement currently prevents a viable certification pathway for plug-in generators in Australia.”

It is not only one standard. The paper says the departments found “at least 30 different technical standards could apply to plug-in generators or their individual components”, none of them written for devices that feed power back through an ordinary socket. Glen Morris, who sits on two Standards Australia committees for the Smart Energy Council, wrote on 1 September 2026 that AS/NZS 4777.1 treats a grid-connected inverter as part of a home’s fixed wiring, AS/NZS 3000 treats a socket as an outlet for drawing power, not feeding it, and the Clean Energy Council’s approved product list has no category for a plug-connected inverter.

Standards bodies cannot fix this on their own. Morris put it simply: “Standards Australia writes standards, it does not legalise anything.” I could not find a public Standards Australia project or statement on plug-in solar as at 5 November 2026.

How is WA getting around the standards?

With a stopgap. WA’s draft Technical Bridging Standard is meant to “bridge the gap” while the national standards catch up, and the paper says it would “overcome the hard-wiring requirement in existing inverter technical standards.” The draft itself says WA expects future Australian and New Zealand Standards “to supersede the TBS but that it will form the basis of those AS/NZS updates.” WA also expects to split the final version into a product part and an installation part to match AS/NZS documents.

The rules page covers what the WA draft allows, and the timeline covers when.

Have any other states said anything?

Not publicly, beyond signing up to the national work. All states and territories agreed to the 11 September 2026 approach, and Bowen described that agreement as unanimous. As at 5 November 2026, I could not find a published plan, draft standard or start date from any state or territory other than WA. Commerce Minister Dr Tony Buti said WA “will be the first state in the country to make this legal.”

RenewEconomy’s coverage of WA’s move mentions Victoria only as a state that could adopt the approach if national standards are in place, which was a Swinburne academic’s comment, not a Victorian Government statement. WA says it will keep working with “other states and territories, and the Australian Government to support nationally consistent requirements for plug-in systems.”

What are campaigners asking for?

A deadline. Solar Citizens’ 11 September 2026 release says: “Let’s get plug-in solar and batteries legal in Australia by 1 July 2027.” It wants “a firm time-line and deadline by December at the next energy ministers meeting.” Its CEO, Heidi Lee Douglas, said WA’s announcement starts a “race to the top”, as reported by the ABC. The ABC also reported Solar Citizens’ own savings estimate of $300 to $400 a year, double with a battery, which is higher than the WA Government’s estimate of about $240, or about $500 with a battery. The government figures are covered in cost and savings.

What is New Zealand doing?

It is at the recommendation stage. In late July 2026, New Zealand’s Ministry for Regulation published a solar regulatory review that recommended legalising plug-in solar, one of 15 recommendations. Regulation Minister David Seymour said, as reported by RenewEconomy: “If they’re good enough for Germany and the UK, they’re good enough for us.” RenewEconomy reported the review says reforms could be delivered within 9 to 12 months, and the ABC described New Zealand as planning to legalise within 12 months.

New Zealand faces the same barrier, because AS/NZS 4777.1 is a joint Australian and New Zealand standard. RenewEconomy reported that New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment will set the safety requirements. These are recommendations, not law, and I found no confirmed start date.

Can I use a plug-in kit anywhere in Australia yet?

No. Until a state changes its rules and certified kits exist, using a plug-in solar system is illegal everywhere in Australia. See is plug-in solar legal in WA and why imported kits are a problem.