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Policy changes, market updates, and technology news from Southeast Asia and Australia.
Australia's Small-scale Technology Certificate (STC) phaseout under the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES) entered its scheduled annual reduction on January 1, 2026, reducing the STC deeming period from 8 years to 7 years. The change has translated into an 8% average increase in residential solar system prices nationally during Q1 2026, with a typical 6.6 kW system now costing AUD 5,800โ6,400 installed before STC discount, compared to AUD 5,400โ5,900 in late 2025. The Clean Energy Regulator confirms STC creation volume has held steady despite the price increase, with installers and households accelerating purchases ahead of the next scheduled reduction in January 2027. Battery storage uptake continues to climb, with attachment rates on new residential PV systems reaching 38% in Victoria and 41% in South Australia thanks to combined federal and state incentive stacks. The South Australia Home Battery Scheme remains active at AUD 400/kWh up to a AUD 2,000 cap, often combined with the SA Power Networks Virtual Power Plant subsidy of up to AUD 3,600. Solar Victoria continues to offer interest-free loans up to AUD 8,800 alongside its rebate program. Industry body the Smart Energy Council has called for an extension of the SRES phaseout timeline given recent volatility in equipment costs, but the Clean Energy Regulator has confirmed the legislated annual reductions will continue through 2030 as planned.
Thailand's Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency (DEDE) reports that residential and small commercial solar installations under the Very Small Power Producer (VSPP) framework have surpassed 800 MW of installed capacity by end of February 2026, representing more than 65,000 connected systems nationally. The Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA) and Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) jointly administer the program, allowing systems up to 10 kW to inject surplus generation into the distribution grid at a tariff of THB 2.20/kWh โ a significant improvement over the previous THB 1.68 rate set in 2021. Combined with retail electricity tariffs averaging THB 4.20/kWh and Thailand's strong solar resource (averaging 5.1 peak sun hours daily), residential systems are achieving simple payback periods of 6โ8 years. Thailand's Board of Investment (BOI) continues to promote domestic solar manufacturing under its 8-year corporate tax holiday program, helping keep equipment prices for end consumers competitive at approximately USD 0.55โ0.75 per watt installed. Bangkok and Chiang Mai represent the two largest urban markets, while northeastern provinces are seeing rapid growth driven by agribusiness applications and DEDE's rural electrification subsidies. The Energy Regulatory Commission has signaled plans to further expand the VSPP capacity ceiling for residential systems and to introduce time-of-use export tariffs that would provide higher compensation during peak afternoon hours.
Singapore's Energy Market Authority (EMA) reports that average solar export compensation under the Enhanced Central Intermediary Scheme (ECIS) has fluctuated significantly over the past quarter as the Uniform Singapore Energy Price (USEP) responded to global LNG market shifts. Average payouts to residential solar prosumers ranged from SGD 0.04 to SGD 0.12 per kWh exported in Q1 2026, well below retail tariffs that range SGD 0.29โ0.33/kWh. The data underscores Singapore's structural reality: with no land for utility-scale solar and limited rooftop area, the economic case for residential solar depends almost entirely on self-consumption rather than grid export. EMA continues to encourage hybrid solar+battery installations through the SolarNova program for HDB properties, where aggregated solar across multiple HDB blocks reduces town council common-area electricity costs by an estimated 30%. For private condominiums and landed properties, the National Environment Agency's Energy Efficiency Fund (EEF) provides grants of up to 50% for combined solar PV and energy efficiency projects. Industry observers expect Singapore's residential solar growth to remain modest in absolute terms but to increasingly shift toward solar+storage configurations that maximize self-consumption value.