Solar Panel Validation and STCs

What it is, and why it exists

The regulator says SPV aims to protect the integrity of the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme by lowering the risk that STCs are claimed for unapproved panels. It describes SPV as a way to check and confirm that panels:

• are backed by manufacturer warranties
• meet Australian standards for quality and performance
• are eligible for STCs.

It is available for small-scale systems up to 100 kW. The regulator says it is not currently available for mid-scale systems (100 kW to 1 MW), and may be in the future. Mid-scale solar STCs covers that expansion. The page is about panel serial numbers, and does not mention batteries.

How the data package works

The regulator says SPV has two parts: mobile apps for installers to scan panel serial numbers on site, and verification databases of serial numbers from approved panels, supplied by manufacturers. In practice:

1. The installer scans each panel's serial number with an SPV app at the site. The app asks the database for real-time verification.
2. If the serial number verifies, the installer can receive confirmation within seconds.
3. The app also sends the consumer a confirmation. The record shows the panel make and model, the serial numbers, the time and date of installation and its location.
4. The app generates a signed data package. It helps the registered agent create the STCs, because it pre-fills required information in the REC Registry and gives the agent evidence of serial number validation.

The regulator lists benefits for each group. For retailers and installers, it says taking part reduces the risk of selling, buying or installing unapproved panels and simplifies storing and passing on installation information. How a given app works day to day is for its provider to explain. How the whole STC chain runs.

The apps the regulator lists

The regulator lists ten industry providers, shown below as it names them. BridgeSelect is one of them, alongside the others. We do not rank them, and the list says nothing about which suits a business best.

To use one, the regulator says to speak to each provider about any costs, the nature of the agreement, and the terms and requirements for access. It also notes that each provider decides for itself whether to deal with third parties. Your registered agent may also have a view, because the data package goes to the agent. We cover how a job runs with us on the home page.

Which manufacturers take part

The regulator lists 67 participating solar panel brands (as at 30 October 2026). To take part, a manufacturer must have an Australian presence and an ABN, be responsible for warranty obligations under Australian consumer law, and have panels on the Clean Energy Council's approved module list. The regulator runs background checks, and a manufacturer can give its data to only one verification service.

Listed brands: 1KOMMA5° Technology GmbH, 8 Star Energy Pty Ltd, AE Solar GmbH, Aleo Solar GmbH, Anhui Huasun Energy Co Ltd, ASC Energy Pty Ltd, AXITEC Energy GmbH & Co KG, CSI Solar Co Ltd, Changzhou EGing Photovoltaic Technology Co Ltd, Chint New Energy Technology Co Ltd, DAH Solar Co Ltd, DAS SOLAR CO LTD, EEMU Pty Ltd T/A Ausgem Energy, GCL System Integration Technology Co Ltd, Gokin Solar Co Ltd, GoodWe (GuangDe) Power Supply Technology Co Ltd, Green Energy Technologies, Hanersun Energy Co Ltd, Hanwha Q CELLS GmbH, HD Hyundai Energy Solutions CO LTD, Hengdian Group DMEGC Magnetics CO LTD, Huansheng Photovoltaic (Jiangsu) Co Ltd, JA Solar Technology Co Ltd, Jiangsu Runergy New Energy Technology Co Ltd, Jiangsu Seraphim Solar System Co Ltd, Jinko Solar Co Ltd, Jinneng Clean Energy Technology Ltd, Jolywood (Taizhou) Solar Technology Co Ltd, Leapton Solar Changshu Co Ltd, Lianyungang Shenzhou New Energy Co Ltd, LONGi Green Energy Technology Co Ltd, Luxen Solar Energy Co Ltd, Maxeon Solar Technologies Ltd, Ningbo Ulica Solar Co Ltd, OMNIS POWER USA INC, Oz Power Products Pty Ltd, Phono Solar Technology Co Ltd, Power Bay Pty Ltd, QINGDAO NAHUI PHOTOVOLTAIC NEW ENERGY CO LTD, REA Power Pty Ltd, REC Solar Pte Ltd, Rinnai Australia Pty Ltd, Risen Energy Co Ltd, Seraphim Solar System Co Ltd, Shanghai Aerospace Automobile Electromechanical Co Ltd, Shanghai JA Solar Technology Co Ltd, Shenzhen Aiko Digital Energy Technology Co Ltd, Solahart Industries PTY LTD, SolarEdge Technologies Ltd, Solar Enterprises Australia Pty Ltd, Sungrow Renewables Development Co Ltd, Suntech Power Co Ltd, Suzhou Akcome Optronics Science & Technology Co Ltd, TCL Zhonghuan Energy Technology (Jiangsu) Co Ltd, Tempo (Aust) Pty Ltd, Tindo Operations Co Pty Ltd, Tongwei Co Ltd, Tongwei Solar (Hefei) Co Ltd, Top Energy Holdings Pty Ltd, Trina Solar Co Ltd, Volt Solar Tile Pty Ltd, Win Win Precision Technology Co Ltd, Wuxi Suntech Power Co Ltd, Yingli Energy Development Co Ltd, Zhejiang Aiko Solar Technology Co Ltd, Zhejiang Sunpro Power Technology co Ltd, ZNSHINE PV-TECH CO LTD.

If your panel brand is not on the list, validation may not be possible for it. Check the regulator's page for the current list before you promise a customer or a trader anything.

What it changes for STC claims, and what it does not

• It can speed up processing. The regulator says it can process STC claims faster using SPV. It also says that if it finds other compliance risks in the application, the faster processing will not happen. Its general guide is that checking usually takes 4 to 6 weeks, and longer if documents are incomplete.
• It is not a stated requirement. The regulator's page on creating STCs lists the documents a claim needs, and validation is not among them. The SPV page presents taking part as a benefit for retailers, installers, agents and manufacturers. Check with your agent for what it expects.
• It does not replace the other paperwork. The assignment form, the written statements, the electrical safety certificate and the installer photos are all still part of a claim. The assignment form, field by field. Why claims fail.
• It does not make a claim safe. The regulator says it may suspend registrations and accounts, or take criminal or civil action, where it detects the use of unapproved panels.

What an installer has to do on site

The regulator's SPV page says installers use an SPV app to scan panel serial numbers at the installation site, and then receive a verification result. It does not give app-specific steps, which vary by provider. If you use an app, the scan comes first. The rest is what the regulator already asks of installers:

• Scan every panel in the app, and keep the confirmation with the job.
• Take the photos that show the installer on site at setup, mid-installation and testing and commissioning, with date, time and location data, and photos showing the serial numbers on the products themselves.
• Install approved products. The regulator requires PV modules and inverters to be on the Clean Energy Council's approved list and installed before they expire. These are separate requirements on the regulator's pages.
• Know what happens on a failed scan before you start. The regulator's page does not say, so ask your app provider and your agent first.

That covers the installer's side. The agent then uses the package when it creates the claim in the REC Registry.