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New standards apply 1 October 2024

Since August 2023, the Clean Energy Council has been notifying the industry of the upcoming standards change to approved PV modules.

From 1 October 2024, all new solar installations will need to use modules that meet 2021 standards (IEC 61215:2021), unless an extension has been formally granted by the Clean Energy Council.

New products standards like these involve a big change in the industry, which is why we set a long transition period of 14 months. From May until mid-July, we accepted extension requests, which have been assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Manufacturers, installers, retailers and those involved in the provision of PV modules in Australia should read the information below to ensure they’re using approved panels.

What you need to do

View which products are eligible on the Clean Energy Council products list:

  • PV modules not certified to 2021 standards and which have not been granted an extension have now been removed from the product lists. If panels are not on the list, they are not considered approved and are not eligible for small-scale technology certificates (STCs) if installed after their expiry date.
  • Some PV modules were given an extension until 31 March 2025 and are still approved and eligible for STCs until this date.
  • Those with an expiry date later than 31 March 2025 are certified to 2021 standards and are considered approved and eligible for STCs now and into the future. They also have a suffix saying IEC 61215-2021.

Electrical workers must ensure that the products installed are compliant with the electrical safety legislation specific to the relevant state or territory. If you have concerns about the acceptability of a product, you should seek clarification from the local regulator.

If you manufacture or import PV modules and have not reapplied to the Clean Energy Council for approval to 2021 standards, we encourage you to do so now. 

The Clean Energy Council’s list of approved PV modules also highlights products that meet a range of higher standards through Enhanced Listings. An updated Enhanced Listing Checklist is available here.

If you have an application with us and have any questions, please contact the Products Team at products@cleanenergycouncil.org.au.


FAQs

Check the expiry date of your PV modules here. If it is not listed, it is not approved and not eligible for STCs. If it has an expiry date of 31 March 2025 it has been granted an extension and is still approved and eligible for STCs until this date.

Yes, some manufacturers applied for extensions to the 1 October deadline. The majority of these were given extensions until 31 March 2025. These PV modules are still approved and eligible for STCs until this date.

Applications for extensions closed on 15 July 2024, the majority of which were granted and are now reflected on the product list with expiry dates of 31 March 2025. No further extensions will be granted.

The normal requirements to claim STCs still apply: installations must be completed while products are CEC approved. STCs can be claimed for up to 12 months from the date of installation, even if the product has since expired. Please check the Clean Energy Regulator’s website for further details on the eligibility requirements for STCs, including what qualifies as the system date of installation, and the process to submit an STC claim.

Pv modules change video

Understanding the standards change process

  • When AS/NZS 5033:2021 was published and became mandatory in May 2022, it brought changes to the requirements for solar panels (PV modules) used in Australia and New Zealand (Clause 4.3.1.1 General). These changes aimed to align with international standards set by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).
  • In most cases, following publication of Australian Standards for installation, the electrical safety regulators across the country adhere to the published six-month transition period, where either the current published version or the version being superseded can be followed (but not combinations of both).
  • When AS/NZS 5033:2021 refers to another Standard, it does not typically give a year for that Standard. However, in these situations legislation considers the most recently published versions to be the ones that are required.
  • After consultation with various regulatory bodies and testing labs, the CEC was of the belief that a six-month transition did not provide industry with suitable time to implement these changes. It was decided that it would be in the best interest of the renewable energy industry in Australia to implement an unofficial transition period whereby the CEC would monitor and communicate with testing labs and help them prepare for change.
  • In August 2023, after CEC confirmed that a significant amount of testing labs had updated their scope of works and were actively testing to the newer standards, it made its first announcement to the industry, giving 14 months’ notice of the standards change.

State electrical safety acts or regulations specify that AS/NZS3000 must be adhered to, and AS/NZS3000 in turn specifies that AS/NZS5033 must be adhered to.

Clause 7.3.2 of AS/NZS 3000 mandates that in scope PV module installations must comply with AS/NZS5033. In turn, section 4.3 of AS/NZS 5033 states that modules used in the installation must be qualified to IEC 61215.

The electrical safety regulators have the power to bar modules that are not compliant with the current standard from being installed in their state or territory, meaning that an extension would have no effect in their jurisdiction. By AS/NZS 5033 not referencing a dated version of the IEC, regulators must interpret that the current version is required for compliance with electrical safety legislation.

  • The CEC notified manufacturers and agents of the change in August 2023, October 2023 and March 2024
  • The CEC website was updated to alert industry of this change since August 2023
  • The CEC Product list was updated in August 2023 where product expiry dates were updated. Stock purchasers are expected to check the expiry of the module prior to purchasing the product.
  • The CEC newsletters actively promoted this upcoming change
  • In late March/early April 2024 the CEC undertook two surveys to gauge industry preparedness.
  • The CEC consulted industry between March and April 2024
  • The CEC confirmed the transition plan on first week of May 2024 with regular communication following this.
  • On 15 July 2024, applications for extension requests were closed for application.

Extension requests

Extension request applications closed on 15 July 2024

From 3 May 2024 to 15 July 2024, we encouraged those manufacturers and retailers who needed more time to apply for an extension beyond the 1 October deadline.

We received 82 extension requests and have approved 58 of these. These extensions are now reflected in the expiry dates on the product listing.

We are here for you

We are committed to supporting you throughout this transition process as best as we can. For any questions regarding the transition process please contact the CEC Products Team at products@cleanenergycouncil.org.au.

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