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They haven’t changed their website or spokesperson yet.
The Clean Energy Regulator (CER) has permanently suspended Solar Power Nation from the federal solar rebate scheme. This means the Sydney-based retailer can no longer issue the federal solar and battery rebates as an upfront discount to customers.
This is the biggest setback so far for a company that, as we reported in August, has faced hundreds of complaints and investigations across three states. Solar Power Nation, legally known as 1 Solar Australia Pty Ltd, has 60 days to ask the CER to review the decision.
When you buy solar panels or a home battery, your solar panels or battery earn certificates called Small-scale Technology Certificates (STCs), and an installer turns them into a discount on your price. This is how the solar panel rebate and the federal battery rebates are included in your quote.
Solar Power Nation used to be a registered installer, so it could sell systems with the rebate included. Now, it can’t do that anymore.
The CER said it is “no longer satisfied that the company meets the fit and proper person requirements.”
They look at a company’s integrity, competence, and business practices. The CER can also consider “consumer-related matters” when making this decision.
“We have a zero-tolerance approach for any poor business practice that can create an adverse outcome for the customer,” CER Chair Tony Chappel said.
The CER’s announcement mentions two earlier issues: Solar Power Nation was expelled from the New Energy Tech Consumer Code (NETCC), and South Australia’s consumer watchdog, Consumer and Business Services (CBS), issued a public warning about the company.
The NETCC findings are serious because they are proven breaches. The Clean Energy Council, which runs the code, rated five out of six as major. These included non-compliant contracts, installations that didn’t meet Australian Standards, and “failing to cooperate with the Code Administrator.”
The CBS complaints are still just allegations and are being investigated. Out of 94 complaints, 41 were from customers who paid deposits for systems that were not installed in a reasonable time, or not installed at all.
And of course, this all happened while the brand was less than 17 months old.
In August, SolarQuotes General Manager Trevor Glen told the ABC that NETCC expulsion carried little real weight.
“There’s no repercussions other than you get suspended or expelled from the program,” he said. “It doesn’t stop you from installing solar, it doesn’t stop you from installing batteries.”
Even after being expelled, Solar Power Nation kept selling for months. Because they could.
The difference now is that a government regulator with more consequential authority has stepped in, and its announcement mentions the expulsion. That’s a step forward.
However, it took almost 11 months, and the code still can’t stop anyone from trading by itself. SolarQuotes in-house installer Anthony Bennett pointed this out when he called the NETCC “effectively a marketing exercise, wrapped in a voluntary code.”
After this article was published, a representative of the Clean Energy Council reached out to challenge the framing of the NETCC as completely toothless. The representative told SolarQuotes:
“NETCC approval is a prerequisite for participation in a number of government incentive programs at state and Federal level. In Victoria, for example, Solar Victoria requires its authorised solar and battery retailers to be NETCC Approved Sellers. Losing NETCC status therefore means losing access to customers through programs such as Solar Homes in Victoria, and the NSW Energy Saver Program, among others.”
Solar Power Nation’s homepage on 11 November 2026, still advertising the federal battery discount.
Our Solar Power Nation reviews average 3.4 out of 5 from 218 reviews.
SolarQuotes founder Finn Peacock said the red flags around the company were clear and immediate, with five early one-star reviews in 2017 all exhibiting similar issues.
“The pattern is simple: take the deposit, miss the date, stop answering the phone. [It] took till 2026 for the CEC to kick them off NETCC (after admitting them in the first place) and the CER to ban them. SolarQuotes never sent them one lead,” he said.
The issues have continued to this day. Glen, in New South Wales, paid a $500 deposit for a battery. For months, he says, the company blamed network approval. Then his network, Essential Energy, told him nobody had ever applied to install a battery at his property.
Not everyone had a bad experience. Jasmin in Queensland gave a 2026 battery installation five stars and called the company “phenomenal”. In August, Solar Power Nation told the ABC it had installed more than 25,000 systems and that the “overwhelming majority” of its customers were satisfied.
Solar Power Nation sells in five states, so the table covers those, plus the ACT, where at least one reviewer paid a deposit.
You can run a check in a minute or two:
A flashy ad just shows a company has a marketing budget. Spending a few minutes on these two registers will tell you much more.
Have you had a positive or negative experience with Solar Power Nation? Leave a review to let others know about your experience.
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Jacob Boyd draws on years of solar industry experience to deliver clear, analytical writing that makes clean energy topics genuinely accessible. He has taught at the university level, published fiction, and directed independent films; a range of creative work that shapes how he approaches every piece. Jacob believes a great solar article does one thing above all else: it leaves readers better equipped to understand and embrace the energy sitting right above their rooftops. He earned his MFA in Writing from San Francisco State University, and believes in the power of sunshine.
Suspending the company is the correct action but what is stopping the individuals who ran the business from starting another business tomorrow and applying the same practices? The suspension needs to go further.
True I agree, There are already so many companies doing this as you mentioned.
MACARTHUR Solar recently went into liquidation owing customers refunds for undelivered contracts. The customers who were following the legal process have now suffered significant finacial loss. The re is ongoing legal action but as customers we are at the bottom of the ladder in regards to recovering monies owed. The owner continually made promises that were never met. We now know he had no intention of delivering and or refunding the contracts that were signed in good faith.
Please keep the SolarQuotes blog constructive and useful with these 5 rules:
1. Real names are preferred – you should be happy to put your name to your comments.
2. Put down your weapons.
3. Assume positive intention.
4. If you are in the solar industry – try to get to the truth, not the sale.
5. Please stay on topic.
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