The solar feed-in tariff for regional Queensland is 6.006 cents per kilowatt hour from 1 July 2026. That is the rate Ergon Energy pays Cairns homes for every kilowatt hour of solar power they send to the grid in 2026-27. The Queensland Competition Authority set the new rate, and it is down about 29% from roughly 8.6 cents the year before.
That drop stings. But it does not mean solar is dead in Cairns. It means the way you use your solar matters more than ever. We will walk you through the new rate, why it fell, and the simple changes that keep solar paying its way in Far North Queensland.
Quick answer
- Regional QLD feed-in tariff for 2026-27: 6.006 cents per kWh, paid by Ergon Energy
- Set by the Queensland Competition Authority, effective 1 July 2026
- Down about 29% from roughly 8.6 cents in 2025-26
- Grid power on Ergon tariff 11 costs roughly 30 to 35 cents per kWh
- Using your own solar is now worth about 5 times more than exporting it
- Batteries and daytime load shifting are the smart response
What is the solar feed-in tariff in QLD for 2026-27?
A feed-in tariff is the payment you get for solar power you do not use at home. Your panels make power during the day. Whatever your house does not use flows out to the grid. Your retailer pays you a small credit for each kilowatt hour.
In regional Queensland, which includes Cairns, Port Douglas, the northern beaches and the Atherton Tablelands, Ergon Energy is the retailer. The Queensland Competition Authority sets the Ergon feed-in tariff each year. For 2026-27 it is 6.006 cents per kWh.
Here is how the rate has moved.
| Year | Regional QLD feed-in tariff | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | Roughly 8.6 c/kWh | |
| 2026-27 | 6.006 c/kWh | Down about 29% |
Every Ergon customer in Cairns gets the same rate. There is no shopping around up here, which we will come back to below.
If you are still weighing up whether panels stack up at all under the new rate, our post on whether solar is worth it in Queensland runs the full numbers.
Why did the Queensland feed-in tariff drop?
Short version: solar worked too well.
Queensland has one of the highest rooftop solar rates in the world. On a sunny day, hundreds of thousands of systems all export at the same time, mostly between 10am and 2pm. The grid gets flooded with cheap daytime power. When there is that much supply, the wholesale price of daytime electricity falls, sometimes close to zero.
The feed-in tariff is based on what that exported power is worth on the wholesale market. Daytime power is worth less than it used to be, so the tariff falls with it. The QCA is not punishing solar owners. It is passing on what the market pays for midday electricity.
The trend is clear, and it is the same across Australia. Power exported at midday keeps losing value. Power used at home, or stored for the evening, keeps its value. Your plan should follow that logic.
Do Cairns homes get a different rate to Brisbane?
Yes, and the split matters.
Regional Queensland (the Ergon area, including Cairns). One retailer, one rate. The QCA sets the feed-in tariff and Ergon pays it. For 2026-27 that is 6.006 c/kWh. Simple, but fixed.
South East Queensland (Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast). Retailers compete down there, so feed-in rates vary from retailer to retailer and change through the year. Some plans advertise higher feed-in rates, but they pair them with higher usage charges.
So when you see a mate in Brisbane quoting a bigger feed-in number, remember two things. First, that rate is not available in Cairns. Second, it often comes attached to a worse overall plan. Which brings us to the next point.
What does the best solar feed in tariff QLD actually mean?
People search for the highest solar feed in tariff QLD hoping there is a better deal hiding somewhere. In regional Queensland there is not. The Ergon feed in tariff is the rate, full stop.
But the bigger lesson applies everywhere, including SEQ. A high feed-in tariff is not the same as a cheap power bill. Retailers know a big feed-in number looks good in an ad. Some plans pay a few extra cents on exports, then claw it back with higher usage rates or a higher daily supply charge.
The maths is simple. Most homes buy far more power from the grid than they export cash-wise. If a plan pays you 2 cents more on exports but charges you 4 cents more on every kilowatt hour you buy at night, you lose. Always compare the whole plan: usage rate, supply charge and feed-in rate together. Our Cairns electricity bill guide shows how to read your bill line by line and predict what a change will do.
The real shift: use your solar, don’t sell it
Here is the number that should drive every decision in 2026.
Grid power in regional Queensland costs roughly 30 to 35 cents per kWh on Ergon tariff 11. Exporting solar earns you 6 cents per kWh. So every kilowatt hour of your own solar that you use at home is worth 30 to 35 cents in avoided cost. The same kilowatt hour exported is worth 6 cents.
Self-consumption beats exporting by about 5 to 1. That gap is the whole story of solar in Cairns right now.
Ten years ago, the game was to export as much as possible. Today the game is to soak up as much of your own solar as you can. The households that get this right still see strong returns. The ones that let their solar pour into the grid at 6 cents, then buy it back at 33 cents after dark, wonder why their bill barely moved.
A worked example: a 6.6 kW system in Cairns
Cairns gets about 5 peak sun hours a day, so a well-installed 6.6 kW system produces a healthy amount of energy year round, even through the wet season from November to April.
Say your system exports 20 kWh a day because nobody is home and nothing is running.
| What you do with 20 kWh of solar | Rate | Daily value |
|---|---|---|
| Export it all to Ergon | 6.006 c/kWh | About $1.20 |
| Use it all at home instead | 30 to 35 c/kWh avoided | About $6 to $7 |
Same panels. Same sunshine. Around 5 times the value, just from using the power instead of selling it. Over a year that gap is worth well over $1,500.
That is why our advice to residential solar customers has changed. We no longer design systems around exports. We design them around your usage pattern, your roof and your plans for a battery or an EV.
How does a battery change the maths?
A battery turns your 6 cent exports into 33 cent savings. Instead of sending spare solar to the grid at midday, you store it and run your house on it after sunset, which is exactly when Cairns homes hit the air con hardest.
The numbers on solar batteries are the best they have ever been. The federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program started 1 July 2025 and takes about 30% off an installed battery. From 1 May 2026 the discount is tiered: about $252 per usable kWh for the first 14 kWh, about $151 per kWh from 14 to 28 kWh, and about $38 per kWh from 28 to 50 kWh. A popular 13.5 kWh battery sits around $12,000 to $16,000 installed before that rebate, so the discount is significant. We cover the fine print in our QLD battery rebate guide.
One warning: the old QLD Battery Booster scheme closed in May 2024. If someone tells you it is still open, walk away from that salesman.
We install Tesla Powerwall 3, BYD, Sigenstor and Fronius batteries, and as a Fronius Partner Plus dealer we can match the battery to your inverter properly. If you are weighing up the Powerwall, our post on Tesla Powerwall 3 benefits is the place to start. Not sure how big to go? Read what size solar battery do I need first, because oversizing wastes money and undersizing wastes solar.
There is a bonus for FNQ homes too. A battery keeps your fridge and fans running through cyclone season outages, which matters in region C. And with Fronius Solar.web monitoring you can watch exactly where every kilowatt hour goes.
What should you change about sizing and daily habits?
The 6 cent tariff changes two practical things: how big you build, and when you run your appliances.
Sizing. Do not size a system purely to maximise exports. Size it to cover your daytime load with headroom for a battery and future loads like an EV. In Cairns, with about 5 peak sun hours a day, a 6.6 kW system costs about $5,500 to $8,500 after rebates, and a 10 kW system about $8,500 to $13,000. Exact quotes depend on your roof and switchboard. The STC rebate takes about $1,800 off a typical 6.6 kW system, and our Cairns solar pricing guide breaks down what drives the range. Going slightly bigger still makes sense for most homes, because spare capacity feeds a battery instead of the grid.
Load shifting. Move your big loads into daylight hours. Run the pool pump from 10am to 2pm. Put the hot water system on a timer so it heats from solar. Set the dishwasher and washing machine to run at lunchtime, not at night. Pre-cool the house in the late afternoon while the panels are still producing, a trick we explain in running air conditioning on solar. If you drive an EV, daytime charging through a proper EV charger turns your car into a battery on wheels that charges at zero fuel cost.
Each load you shift converts 6 cent exports into 30 to 35 cent savings. No new hardware needed, just timers and habits.
Check your existing system. If your system is a few years old, a solar health check will show whether it is still producing what it should. Dirty panels, a failing inverter or tripped optimisers quietly cost you far more at 33 cents a kilowatt hour than they did when exports paid the bills.
Who we are
We are G-Solar & Electrical, based at 32 Magazine Street in Stratford, and we install across Cairns, Port Douglas, the northern beaches and the Atherton Tablelands. Our owner Grant Newman is a fifth generation Cairns electrician and SAA accredited, so the advice you get is local and licensed, not a call centre script. We install SunPower panels, and we hold 326 Google reviews at a 5.0 rating. You can read what locals say on our customer testimonials page, and payment plans are available through Handypay.
Frequently asked questions
What is the solar feed-in tariff in QLD right now?
For regional Queensland, including Cairns, it is 6.006 cents per kWh from 1 July 2026, paid by Ergon Energy. The Queensland Competition Authority sets this rate each financial year. In South East Queensland, rates vary by retailer.
Can I get a higher feed-in tariff in Cairns by switching retailers?
No. Regional Queensland has one retailer, Ergon Energy, and one QCA-set rate. Retail competition only exists in South East Queensland, so Cairns homes should focus on self-consumption instead of chasing a better export rate.
Is solar still worth it in Cairns with a 6 cent feed-in tariff?
Yes, because the main value of solar was never the export credit. Every kilowatt hour you use yourself saves you 30 to 35 cents against Ergon tariff 11. With about 5 peak sun hours a day, a well-designed Cairns system still pays for itself, especially with a battery.
Will the feed-in tariff go up again?
Unlikely. Daytime power keeps losing wholesale value as more solar joins the grid, and the tariff tracks that value. Planning around self-consumption, batteries and load shifting is safer than hoping for a higher rate.
Get a system designed for 6 cent exports
The feed-in tariff is not coming back to 8.6 cents. The homes that win from here are the ones set up to use their own power. We design systems for exactly that: right-sized arrays, batteries that match your evening load, and load shifting that suits how your family actually lives.
Tell us about your roof and your last power bill, and we will show you what the numbers look like for your house. Request a free quote here and a local Cairns electrician will get back to you, not a call centre.