Apply to join the approved products list
Find out how to get your solar PV module, battery or inverter added to our approved list
Applying to the approved products list
The Clean Energy Council maintains a list of compliant solar photovoltaic (PV) modules, batteries and inverters that meet relevant standards and other essential requirements for consumer protection.
State electricity networks and government rebate programs, including the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES), require that solar systems use products from this list.
Manufacturers or nominated Australian-based agents can apply to add their products to the list by providing documents including lab tests and certificates which are then reviewed by our product engineers.
Find out more about how to apply below.
Understand the application process
All applications go through a proper and thorough review process to protect the integrity of the list and the safety of consumers. This takes time and requires strong documentation by applicants and timely responses to questions.
There are five steps in the application process:
Watch the video to understand what is involved in the application process.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
Application processing times
We are currently experiencing a high volume of applications for inverter and battery product listings, which is impacting application processing times. The volume of applications for PV modules is currently moderate, with standard processing times.
In July, the time for applications to begin an engineering technical assessment was 9 weeks for batteries (down from 10 in June), 11 weeks for inverters (down from 13 in June) and 4 weeks for PV modules (up from 3 weeks in June). Full accreditation typically takes a further 2 to 6 months, depending on application completeness.
All applications undergo a thorough and rigorous review process to ensure the quality and safety of products. Manufacturers and importers are encouraged to ensure they submit complete and accurate applications and respond to clarifications quickly, as this helps reduce processing times.
Preparing your product application
Ensuring you fill out the application properly and provide all required documents will help reduce the time it takes to approve your application. Your application will be delayed if incomplete or incorrect information is supplied.
Follow these steps to ensure your application is ready.
01 Get the product tested and certified to the required Australian and/or IEC Standards
All PV modules must be tested to IEC 60215:2021/61730 by a test laboratory approved to test PV modules to these standards under the IECEE scheme. The certificate must be issued by a national certifying body associated with that laboratory, who are accredited to certify PV module testing under the IECEE CB scheme. Certificates must be issued after the date of joining the scheme.
The Clean Energy Council will only accept certificates where periodic factory inspections are carried out by the certifying body to ensure ongoing compliance with the international standards.
Enhanced listings: If your modules are certified for a higher standard of quality or are certified for specific environments, they may be eligible to receive an enhanced listing. Read more about enhanced listings further down this page.
02 Ensure you have at least one importer or local manufacturer of the product
The Clean Energy Council requires manufacturers to nominate all importers of their products. Importers are responsible for meeting the manufacturer warranty obligations in Australia.
Importers must keep a record of all serial numbers and make them available to the Clean Energy Council and Clean Energy Regulator on request.
Importers must be a legally identifiable Australian or New Zealand entity, holding an Australian Business Number (ABN) or a New Zealand Inland Revenue Department (IRD) number.
03 Ensure you have the required documents
Download the PV module checklist and find details of all documents you will need to provide in your application including installation manuals, warranty terms and conditions and datasheets.
Download the PV module application checklist
04 Additional requirements for Enhanced Listings
To assist purchasers in identifying quality products, the Clean Energy Council’s list of approved PV modules highlights products that meet a range of higher standards through enhanced listings. Enhanced listings are possible for:
- VDE Quality Tested
- IEC 61701 Salt mist corrosion resistance
- IEC 62716 Ammonia corrosion resistance
- IEC TS 62804 potential-induced degradation (PID) Resistance
When applying to have a PV module listed with an enhanced listing, please use the Enhanced Listing Checklist to ensure that you include all the required documentation.
Materials will be verified as part of the Clean Energy Council's test program, and non-complying products will be considered to be in breach of the listing Terms and Conditions.
Claims on datasheets of higher standards that are not granted an enhanced listing must be marked 'optional' or 'on request' if the Clean Energy Council has sighted evidence of testing. If no suitable evidence can be supplied, the claim is required to be removed.
After ensuing that you have met all the requirements in the Enhanced Listings Checklist, you can submit the details for consideration of an enhanced listing by email at the time of application.
No additional fee is charged for Enhanced Listings if applying with a PV Module application. Applying for Enhanced Listings for PV Modules already approved by the Clean Energy Council may incur an additional fee.
Download the Enhanced Listings checklist
05 Read the PV module listing terms and conditions
All applicants must comply with the PV module listing terms and conditions.
The terms and conditions below came into effect from 15 August 2023.
These Terms and Conditions are subject to change with three months’ notice.
If an application is incomplete the CEC Product Manager may request additional information. If three consecutive incomplete applications are received from an Applicant, the CEC Product Manager may require a new application along with payment of a new application fee.
Additional requirements
Building integrated modules may have additional requirements under the Building Code of Australia (BCA).
01 Read the Battery Safety Guide and get your product tested and certified to the required Australian and/or IEC Standards
Lithium-based battery system (BS) and battery energy storage system (BESS) products can be included on the approved products list and are assessed against different combinations of standards described in the Battery Safety Guide as Method 1, Method 2 and Method 3. To apply to have your battery on the list, you must have the battery tested and certified by an IEC or JAS-ANZ-accredited certifying body to the relevant standards described under one of those methods. Method 4 is excluded as it allows for non-specific selection of standards as identified by use of matrix to address known risks and apply defined compliance criteria.
02 Ensure you have at least one importer or local manufacturer of the product
The Clean Energy Council requires manufacturers to nominate the importers who are responsible for meeting the manufacturer warranty obligations in Australia.
Importers must be a legally identifiable Australian or New Zealand entity, holding an Australian Business Number (ABN) or a New Zealand Inland Revenue Department (IRD) number.
03 Ensure you have the required documents
Download the battery checklist relevant to the method you wish to be approved against and find details of all documents you will need to provide in your application including installation manuals, warranty terms and conditions and datasheets.
- Download the Method 1 battery application checklist
- Download the Method 2 battery application checklist
- Download the Method 3 battery application checklist
04 Read the battery listing terms and conditions
All applicants must comply with the battery listing terms and conditions.
The terms and conditions below came into effect from 15 August 2023.
These Terms and Conditions are subject to change with three months’ notice.
If an application is incomplete the Clean Energy Council Product Manager may request additional information. If three consecutive incomplete applications are received from an Applicant, the Product Manager may require a new application along with payment of a new application fee.
01 Get the product tested and certified to the required Australian and/or IEC standards by a suitably accredited testing laboratory
As different standards apply to different inverter categories, it is important that you know what type of inverter or PCE you are listing. and so which standards to test against.
We are in the process of introducing updated inverter categories and standards guidance in line with the new AS/NZS 4777.2:2020 Amd 2:2024. Currently, applications can be made under the existing AS/NZS 4777.2:2020 or AS/NZS 4777.2:2020 Amd 2:2024. From 23 August 2025, all new applications will need to comply with AS/NZS 4777.2:2020 Amd 2:2024.
Please note, if you apply under the existing AS/NZS 4777.2:2020 standard, you will also be required to provide a manufacturer declaration and supporting evidence of region settings compliant with AS/NZS 4777.2:2020 Amd 2:2024 in time for 23 August 2025. You can supply this now with your initial application. If you supply after your listing application has been approved, there may be an additional administration fee of $250 (exc. GST) for each listing application that needs to be updated.
Please refer to the following document to identify your inverter category and see which standards apply with AS/NZS 4777.2:2020.
Inverter categories and required standards as per AS/NZS 4777.2:2020
Please refer to the following document to identify your inverter category and see which standards apply with AS/NZS 4777.2:2020 Amd 2:2024. Please note, the application form below currently reflects categories and standards described with AS/NZS 4777.2:2020 but can still be used to apply with AS/NZS 4777.2:2020 Amd 2:2024.
Please be aware, the Clean Energy Council is in the process of updating the inverter application form and available checklist to incorporate these changes, if you are applying based on Amendment 2 prior to the update's completion, please select the most suitable options in the form, and provide a brief explanation of what differs from the submitted information. If submitting for a product that incorporates bi-directional EV ports during this time, it is recommended to enter the form as if these are Battery Ports. To provide additional information or feedback relating to this, please email products@cleanenergycouncil.org.au.
Inverter categories and required standards as per AS/NZS 4777.2:2020 Amd 2:2024
Ensure the product is independently certified by a JAS-ANZ accredited certification agency, or state electrical safety regulator. If you have certificates from a non-JAS-ANZ accredited organisation, we advise that you submit these and their accompanying test reports to a state electrical regulator for assessment in order to obtain a Certificate of Suitability from that state regulator. The certificate from the state regulator can then be uploaded with the application.
Find a JAS-ANZ accredited body
02 Ensure you have at least one importer or local manufacturer of the product and they are registered with the EESS Registration Database
The Clean Energy Council requires manufacturers to nominate the importers who are responsible for meeting the manufacturer warranty obligations in Australia.
Importers must be a legally identifiable Australian or New Zealand entity, holding an Australian Business Number (ABN) or a New Zealand Inland Revenue Department (IRD) number.
A importers or local manufacturers of the product must be registered with the Electrical Equipment Safety System (EESS) Registration Database as a Responsible Supplier.
Visit the EESS Registration Database
03 Ensure you have the required documents
Download the inverter application checklist and find details of all documents you will need to provide in your application including installation manuals, warranty terms and conditions and datasheets.
04 Read the inverter listing terms and conditions
All applicants must comply with the inverter listing terms and conditions.
The terms and conditions below came into effect from 15 August 2023.
These Terms and Conditions are subject to change with three months’ notice. The Product manager will notify changes to these Terms, via notice on the website and email notification to Applicants.
If an application is incomplete the CEC Product Manager may request additional information. If three consecutive incomplete applications are received from an Applicant, the CEC Product Manager may require a new application along with payment of a new application fee.
Inverters with Software Communication Clients
Inverters with software communication client (SCC) details included in their listing are considered to have a communication channel that is compliant to IEEE 2030.5 CSIP-AUS, either hosted locally on the inverter or a gateway device, or via a certified cloud connection to the network operator utility server.
The software communication client information shown on the Approved Inverter List is based on testing conducted by SA Power Networks.
To have software communication client information included in an inverter listing, please follow the steps below:
- First, contact SA Power Networks to have the appropriate witness testing completed.
- This testing should cover all models for which software client details will be shown on the Approved Inverter List.
- Please note that only models specified within the witness testing report generated by SA Power Networks will be able to be updated by the Clean Energy Council.
- Once a witness testing report has been generated, this will be provided directly to the Clean Energy Council by SA Power Networks.
- Once the Clean Energy Council has received the witness test report from SA Power Networks, the models included in the report are reviewed against current inverter listings and inverter listing applications under assessment.
- If the inverters that have been tested are already included on the approved inverter list, then an application to update the listing is generated. Please note an application update fee of $1,000 (plus GST where applicable) will apply.
- If the update application pertains to inverter models that are currently under assessment to be included on the general approved inverter list, then no additional charge is applied, and the Software Communication Client details will be included on the inverter listing from its approval date.
- Applicants must notify the Clean Energy Council if a listing application is submitted for models that have had SA Power Networks witness testing completed.
- Each application is for a single inverter OEM and software client OEM, with no cap on the number of models that can be included per application, provided all relevant test reports are provided on the same day.
- Note that if test reports are provided on different days, then they will be processed separately, and a new fee will be applied to each updated application.
Common errors in applications
Below are some common errors we find in applications which cause delays in processing
Some manufacturers submit incomplete applications, with the belief that they can supply some requirements while the application is in process. For example, some manufacturers apply for EESS registration (a requirement for inverters) after submitting the. We start an administrative check within 10 business days of receiving an application to check all documentation has been supplied. If the application is incomplete it can’t proceed beyond this stage. We’re also updating our application form to stop incomplete applications being submitted.
All documents must be submitted in English. Sometimes, manufacturers use tools to auto-translate these documents from their original application, but these often contain many errors given the technical nature of the documents. Ensuring translations of documents are accurate in English is important.
Often, during the technical assessment we have questions about technical aspects of the product. These are usually resolved more quickly if we have a technical contact at the manufacturer. Please supply a technical contact in the application together with the product manager’s details.
Once we are satisfied your product meets all the requirements, you’ll need to upload the approved documents on the manufacturer’s and importers’ websites. Often, this can take a long time so its useful to find out who is responsible for the websites and brief this in early to avoid delays.
Application fees and refunds
Application fees
On applying, you will be sent an invoice for the following amount. Your application cannot proceed until the invoice is paid.
|
No. of models allowed per application |
Cost per application |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Inverters |
Up to 10 models An application can include up to two certificate sets. Extra certificates will require a new application. |
$5,500 + GST |
|
Power conversion equipment (PCE) |
Up to 10 models An application can include up to two certificate sets. Extra certificates will require a new application. |
$1,100 + GST |
|
PV modules |
Up to 20 models An application can include up to two certificate sets. Extra certificates will require a new application. |
$5,500 + GST |
|
Batteries (energy storage devices) |
Up to 10 models. An application can include up to two certificate sets. Extra certificates will require a new application. |
$5,500 + GST |
Refunds
If you decide to cancel your application or if the Clean Energy Council cancels or rejects your application, you may be entitled to a refund as described in the table below.
If you decide to cancel your application or if the Clean Energy Council cancels or rejects your application, you may be entitled to a refund as described in the table below.
Details required for the refund must be provided to Clean Energy Council within four weeks of the application rejection/withdrawal; after this time the application fee is not refundable.
|
Application outcome |
Refund amount |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Clean Energy Council cancels an application* |
85% of the application fee |
|
|
Applicant cancels application† prior to the administrative review |
Refund of application fee, less $250 |
|
|
Applicant cancels application† during the administrative review |
85% of the application fee |
|
|
Clean Energy Council rejects application during the administrative review |
50% of the application fee |
|
|
Applicant cancels application during the engineering review |
15% of the application fee |
|
|
|
Clean Energy Council rejects application during or after engineering review |
No refund |
|
Clean Energy Council rejects application due to non-response¶ |
No refund |
* The Clean Energy Council reserves the right to cancel an application at any time, for reasons including but not limited to applications for products outside the scope of the project listing and duplicated applications.
† Applicants can cancel an application by notifying us on email at products@cleanenergycouncil.org.au.
¶ If an application is rejected due to non-response to requests for additional information or clarification, the applicant is not eligible for a refund. As detailed within our listing Terms and Condition, the Clean Energy Council may reject an application if information is not provided within the specified timeframe. It is the applicant’s responsibility to respond to all communication within the specified timeframe and failure to do so will result in the rejection of the application and forfeiture of any application fees.
Note: If an application has been cloned as two certificate sets were submitted, the application fee cannot be refunded if one of the two applications are already approved.
The Clean Energy Council updated the refund fees on 22 April 2025.
Apply to have your product listed
To have your solar PV module, battery or inverter included on the Clean Energy Council approved products list, ensure that your products meet the requirements outlined above, then begin your application.
How we're improving processing times
Safety takes time. Here's what we're doing to improve application processing times without cutting corners.
Since being reappointed by the Clean Energy Regulator as the product accrediting body in October 2024, we have implemented the following improvements:
- expanded our team of engineering specialists and administrators
- introduced an initial review step to ensure all relevant documentation has been provided to support each application
- increased transparency about application progress and wait times
- streamlined internal processes for greater efficiency
We will continue to seek improvements to our processes to improve processing times.
Ensuring your application is complete helps us approve products faster. If you have any questions about applying, please contact us at products@cleanenergycouncil.org.au.