Will plug-in solar be allowed in regional WA and cyclone areas?

Most of the coverage of WA’s plug-in solar plan has been about Perth apartments. The draft applies statewide, though, and it makes two choices that matter more up north: which grid you are on, and how much wind the mounting has to survive. Plug-in solar is not legal anywhere in WA yet, regional or metro.

Does the plan cover Horizon Power towns?

Yes. The consultation paper says the draft standard “would allow systems to be used in all parts of WA”. It also proposes simple notification forms so that “Western Power and Horizon Power have some visibility about the numbers of systems customers are using.”

The FAQ explains the split: Western Power runs the main grid for Perth and the South West, and Horizon Power covers regional and remote WA. If you are not sure which one you are on, the FAQ says to check your power bill. The notification step is covered in notifying Western Power or Horizon Power.

What is the difference between the SWIS and Horizon Power’s grids?

The SWIS (South West Interconnected System) is WA’s main grid, the one Western Power’s network serves. The ABC reports that more than 40% of homes on it already have rooftop solar. I did not find an equivalent figure for Horizon Power areas.

Horizon Power’s own website describes a very different set-up. Its customers live and work across 2.3 million square kilometres, which it calls the largest catchment of any Australian power provider. It runs:

• the North West Interconnected System (NWIS) in the Pilbara
• a connected network covering Kununurra, Wyndham and Lake Argyle
• more than 30 separate microgrids across regional WA, all outside the SWIS

The same page says it supplies more than 36,000 households and 9,000 businesses. (The page gives the microgrid count as both 34 and 38 in different places, which is why I have said “more than 30”.)

Will a kit need different settings in a Horizon Power town?

Yes. The draft says plug-in inverters must use “region B settings (Western Power area) or region C settings (Horizon Power area)” of AS/NZS 4777.2:2020, the grid code for inverters.

Those regions are grid-code settings and have nothing to do with wind regions, even though the letters match. A kit set up for a Perth home may not be set up for a Pilbara one. My reading is that buyers in Horizon Power areas should check the kit is configured for the Horizon Power setting, once certified kits exist.

What does “wind regions C and D excluded” actually mean?

It means nobody will test whether a kit’s mount survives cyclone-strength wind. It does not mean the kits are banned in the north.

The draft requires manufacturers to “determine wind loadings up to region B of AS/NZS 1170.2:2021”, the Australian wind loading standard. The consultation paper explains why it stops there:

The paper’s reasoning is that the strict design rules for C and D are meant for permanent fixtures such as roofs. For “portable or impermanent structures like plug-in generators”, the departments want to balance safety with having products available at all. Their words: this “would mean people in all parts of Western Australia could use plug-in generators without mounting systems needing to meet strict design criteria meant for permanent fixtures.”

In plain words, for someone in a cyclone-prone part of the north: a compliant kit would be legal to use, but its mount would be built and tested for southern-style wind, not cyclones. Staying safe in a cyclone would be up to you.

So what do I do when a cyclone is coming?

Treat it like outdoor furniture. The paper says: “Routine storm preparation for other movable fixtures, like moving outdoor furniture and shades, would apply to plug-in generators.”

DFES says the Exmouth to Broome coast is one of Australia’s most cyclone-prone areas, with cyclones typically crossing it between November and April. Its cyclone advice includes:

• at the Advice level, secure boats, caravans, trailers, garden sheds, outdoor furniture, rainwater tanks, LPG bottles and rubbish around your home
• at the Watch and Act level, “Make final preparations to your property, including securing loose items like trampolines and outdoor furniture”

DFES has used three warning levels since 15 July 2024: Advice, Watch and Act, and Emergency Warning.

Taking a kit down has its own steps. The draft says instructions must tell users that DC connectors “must not be disconnected under load” and that the AC supply must be turned off before disconnecting DC connections. In practice, my reading is: unplug from the wall first, then disconnect the panels, following the maker’s instructions.

Is anything else in the draft relevant up north?

Yes, three things matter in hot, coastal or remote places.

Heat. Manufacturers must state the permissible ambient temperature range, and whether the inverter can go outside, inside, or both. For batteries, the paper’s question 12(c) asks whether the draft covers “thermal safety, clearance, placement, and ventilation” well enough.

Salt air. The mounting must suit “environments with increased corrosion risk such as marine and agricultural environments”, and where a kit is not suitable for a corrosive environment the maker must say so clearly.

Height and wind zones. Instructions must give guidance on installation location “including wind zones”, and the permissible installation heights above ground based on wind effects under AS/NZS 1170.2:2021. Read those limits before deciding where a kit goes.

Has Horizon Power said anything?

Not that I could find as at 5 November 2026. The draft standard says it does not apply to systems installed under Horizon Power’s Basic EG Connection Technical Requirements, which (in my description) are the existing rules for conventional small connected systems such as rooftop solar. The government’s FAQ says export payments are not being pursued for plug-in systems for now, and the focus is on using the power yourself.

Can regional people comment on the wind rules?

Yes, and the paper asks directly. Question 6(a) asks whether testing mounts up to wind region B is “adequate to balance individual system safety with broader consumer access”. Question 6(b) asks whether people would prefer “a two-tier structural specification” for systems supplied in either region, meaning up to wind region B or up to wind region D. Submissions close at 5pm AWST on 9 December 2026. See how to have your say.