Hundreds Of Solar Panels Booted From CEC’s Approved List

Hundreds of solar panel models previously approved by Australia’s Clean Energy Council were dropped from its list last night. Here’s what’s happened, why and what it means.

For solar power systems installed in Australia to be eligible for the national solar rebate, some state incentives and grid connection permission, inverters and solar panels used must be on the CEC’s approved products lists on the date of installation – not the date a sales contract is signed.

Since August 2023, the Clean Energy Council has been giving the industry a heads-up of a standards change to approved PV modules. Most were required to be certified to the 2021 edition of the IEC 61215 series¹ from October 2024 in order to remain on the list.  Those that are certified have a suffix on their CEC listing stating: (IEC 61215-2021).

However, some manufacturers were granted extensions for certain solar panel models to 31 March 2025. Yesterday was the end of the CEC’s largesse – no further extensions have been granted.

As at late yesterday afternoon, there were around 2,800 approved solar panel models listed from 126 manufacturers. This morning, that total had dropped to ~2,100 listings. If the biscuit aisle in Woolies is anything to go by, sometimes having fewer choices can be a good thing.

Does This Impact Owners Of Delisted Solar Panels?

In a word, no. Their solar panels won’t suddenly disintegrate or suffer a performance hit, owners won’t have to pay back the rebate and existing warranty arrangements will be unchanged. Panels are routinely removed from the CEC’s list for a wide range of reasons, including if they aren’t manufactured any longer or have just ceased being sold Australia. It’s likely that’s the case with many of the models culled in the CEC’s latest clean-up.

But where there might be changes are in some system quotes. If installers had stock they were confident of getting installed before the cut-off date and if they haven’t been able to, there may be some follow up to inform customers those panels are no longer available and an alternative offered. Just ensure the alternative is at least as good as what it will be replacing.

The chances of having solar panels installed that are no longer approved are slim, as this can be quite easily discovered through various compliance checks – and land the company in very hot water. But if you’re feeling particularly vigilant, you can check the module label against the CEC approved panel list just before the modules go on your roof to confirm they are present. Checking the label also enables you to confirm if you’re getting what you signed up for.

There is an exception where previously listed and then delisted solar panels can be used, depending on the circumstances. The CEC says:

“Like-for-like replacement for a faulty panel/inverter is regarded as a repair under AS 3000. Therefore, the replacement panel/inverter only needs to conform to the standards that applied at the time of original installation. This applies to product listing as well.”

But there are additional conditions and requirements laid down by the CEC related to repairs and warranty work.

Learn more about choosing the best solar panels for your circumstances.