Create small-scale technology certificates

Creating and selling small-scale technology certificates (STC) can be complicated. To make things simpler, most people assign the right to create STCs to a registered agent in exchange for an upfront discount on the system's purchase price.

If you're an agent or a system owner who is creating STCs themselves, you must follow these steps to create your certificates.

Before you create STCs

• Check the system is eligible
• Confirm you're the system owner or have the right to create certificates for the system
• Check your sales contract to ensure STCs haven't already been created for the system
• Ensure you have all the required documents and evidence
• Ensure documents are signed by the relevant parties, including the installer, designer, retailer and owner (if required)
• Select the deeming period and calculate certificate entitlements
• Create the certificates within 12 months of the installation date

Creating STCs

Certificates are created in the REC Registry.

Before creating STCs, ensure you have:

• the correct REC Registry account type
• all required documents ready to submit with your claim.

REC Registry account

If you're the system owner, you must create a 'registered person' account in REC Registry.

If you're an agent, you must have a 'registered agent' account. You must also have the STCs assigned to your account.

Required documents

Use our guides to ensure you have all required documents before creating STCs.

• Small generation units (solar PV, wind and hydro systems) 
• Solar water heaters 

To create STCs, you need to have certain documentation. The documents you need to provide depend on the system.

All required documents must be completed and signed before creating STCs.

You can upload the documents in the REC Registry when you submit your STC application. This will help reduce processing timeframes.

We can request you provide the required documents for up to 5 years from the date of creation. You must provide the documents if requested, even if the claim is already approved. 

If you don't provide complete documentation, we may:

• fail the STC claim
• issue a warning or take other compliance action
• request you to surrender STCs
• suspend you from participating
• review your fit and proper person status
• bring civil or criminal charges.

Multiple installations at one address

When you create certificates, it's important to provide all address details in the REC Registry. This ensures we can accurately assess your application as quick as possible.

For 2 or more installations at the same address, provide detailed information for us to locate and separate the systems. If you're unsure, add as many details to describe how to get to the property and each system.

If you need help, use our guides for collecting mandatory information:

• Small generation units (solar PV, wind and hydro systems)
• Solar water heaters

REC Registry bulk upload

You can bulk upload STC claims for eligible systems.

If you need help, use our guide for small generation unit and solar water heater bulk upload.

Clean Energy Council approved PV modules and inverters list

Use the Clean Energy Council approved PV modules and inverters lists with the REC Registry bulk upload guide. The below spreadsheets are applicable from 20 November 2024.

Validating STCs

We audit certificates to ensure they are valid before we register them.

Validation will usually take 4 to 6 weeks. It may take longer if:

• you don't provide complete or correct documentation
• we identify a compliance issue.

We may fail certificates if:

• information provided is incorrect, invalid or duplicated
• you provide incomplete documents
• the installed system is:
  • not eligible
  • not classified as complete
  • doesn't meet Solar Accreditation Australia's designer and installer guidelines.

If you provided incorrect information in your claim, email deemedunits@cer.gov.au.

Registration fees

After we've validated your STCs, they appear as 'pending registration' in the REC Registry.

You need to pay fees to finalise registration. The first 250 certificates you create are free. Once you exceed the 250, fees will apply to all created certificates. This includes the first 250 certificates.

Fees per certificate:

• 47c for small generation units
• 8c for solar water heaters

If fees apply, you can pay them in the REC Registry.

Once registered, certificates will appear as registered under 'summary holdings'.

Re-creating STCs

We will let you know if we fail your certificates. You must subscribe to get these notices. Make sure any users you want to receive the notifications have signed up.

You may re-create the certificates if:

• the failure notification tells you to
• the errors were corrected
• the system is eligible
• the system installation was less than 12 months ago.

If your failure notification states you may not recreate, contact deemedunits@cer.gov.au before recreating.

How to re-create STCs

If we failed your STC claim and you would like to recreate, you must:

• correct all details listed in the original failure reason
• enter the failed accreditation code and add a note detailing why we failed the claim.

Trading STCs

After creating and registering your certificates, you can trade your STCs in the open market or the STC clearing house.

Learn about trading your STCs.