To be eligible for a Solar Victoria no-interest loan for home energy storage, batteries must be included on the agency’s approved products list. Tesla Powerwall 3 still isn’t. What gives?
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Update 19 March, 2025: Solar Victoria has announced Tesla Powerwall 3 is now eligible under the Solar Homes Program.
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Under the state’s Solar Homes Program, interest-free loans of up to $8,800 for the installation of a solar battery system are available; repaid monthly over 4 years.
The Tesla Powerwall 3 (PW3) should have been a slam-dunk for inclusion on the eligible batteries list. The Powerwall 2 still is and was added back in December 2018; among the first to be included.
PW3 has been available for installation in Australia for close to 5 months now. Tesla Powerwall 3 reviews here on SolarQuotes suggest the vast majority of Australians who have had one installed are happy with it, averaging 4.9 stars from 75 ratings at the time of publishing.
But an update from Solar Victoria on Monday states:
“A reminder that only products on Solar Victoria’s eligible product lists can be selected and installed under the Solar Homes Program. We have reviewed and determined that the Telsa Powerwall 3 is not an eligible product under the Solar Homes Program.”
The door hasn’t been shut, with the agency stating it will update solar retailers if a decision is made to list it.
Solar Victoria’s Short And Sweet Response
I emailed Solar Victoria and asked why it wasn’t an eligible product and was surprised when they got back to me quickly. That was probably because the reply was so brief; basically stating the organisation is unable to comment on why or why not a certain product may or may not be included on the approved product list.
The absence of information can be fertile ground for rumours. For example, could it be the Powerwall 3 battery has been snubbed because of a Musky odour or interoperability issues? Nope – the PW2 is still on there; and eligibility criteria for inclusion don’t cover the unrelated antics of a company’s CEO.
A Sticky Situation
SQ’s in-house installer Anthony Bennett has heard it’s a matter of bureaucracy gone mad. Apparently, a certain Victorian electrical authority seems to think those trained, qualified and licenced to commission the hardware are unable to apply the right stickers once finished. It’s understood the issue with PW3 has nothing to do battery operation, or safety per se, and no doubt Tesla is working on a viable solution that meets expectations of the powers-that-be.
The situation isn’t just frustrating for Victorians wanting a Powerwall 3. It’s impacting installers as well and badly hurting some businesses. We were recently informed of a case where an installer had to lay off an apprentice as much of the installer’s work is tied up in Powerwall 3 in tandem with the no-interest loans.
Powerwall 3 Not The Only Show In Town
For Victorians who don’t have their hearts set on PW3, there are plenty of other choices. The approved home batteries list dated February 24 lists more than *11,000* battery and their variants. That’s a lot to wade through, and many options that are still available aren’t on par with Powerwall 3 on multiple fronts.
There’s no indication yet when this will get sorted, but it’s an opportunity to re-evaluate if Powerwall 3 is right for you. For Victorians growing impatient and thinking about other options anyway, a good place to start looking is SQ’s solar battery comparison table where you can compare specifications and approximate pricing on models from a bunch of brands.
We also recently asked installers in the SQ network:
“If installing a system on your own house today, what brand’s batteries would you use?”
See what they voted the best home batteries in 2025 for several potential Tesla Powerwall alternatives.
About Michael Bloch
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What sort of stickers would Powerwall 3 installers not be able to apply competently? Especially given the Powerwall 2 is permitted and fairly similar no?
Is it possible that this is just anti-Musk activism by ‘bureaucrats gone mad’?
It was only recently that there was an article about Tesla drivers rebadging their vehicles for fear of vandalism. If that level of hatred\violence is correct, then discrimination by activist Victorian bureaucrats seems quite plausible, at least to me.
Hi George,
That sounds like a conspiracy theory to me but the fact of the matter is that authorities want the manufacturer to apply a sticker explaining the inverter rating.
The thing with PW3 is that it’s ratings are configured by the installer during the initial commissioning process. They select 5kW, 10kW or 11.03kW and that setting is locked once it’s set.
It’s not practical to have 3 different models shipped and warehoused just because the technical regulator doesn’t trust electricians to put the right identification on what is exactly the same unit.
Leaving aside your conspiracy point, isn’t the Powerwall 3 really an 11.03kW inverter that is software locked by the installer to a lower tier?
The cost presumably won’t change if you opt for a lower setting, so what difference is really made?
Hi George,
The cost doesn’t change but the capacity to export, or potentially overwhelm the network, is what they’re cautious about.
After my Powerwall 3 install in Queensland last year, the stickers were installed about a week later, and for whatever reason I was left with a Powerwall 2 user manual. I figured this was a small oversight during the launch, so it’s surprising to hear the stickers are STILL a problem.
Hi brett,
Was it the engraved traffolyte labels with safety warnings and numbers for voltage and current they missed for your job? They are an Australian Standard requirement.
I think the problem we face here is the “data plate” which Tesla put on with electrical ratings and a serial number. The electrical safety regulators in Melbourne have a different opinion to those in Perth I believe.
Oh for gods sake I’m waiting to buy a powerwall 3! Waiting and waiting, in Victoria…. Is this seriously the issue, a sticker with the specs and rating… that’s infuriating!
Hi Alistair,
Welcome to the solarcoaster. Our entire industry is full of regulatory burden sadly.
If I were you I would complain to Energy Safe Victoria.
Hi Anthony,
Thanks very much for this suggestion. I started the process and noticed there’s an option to make a freedom of information request on the Energy Safe Victoria website. Do you think it’s likely there is any value in making an FOI request for information on the PW3 hold up?
Cheers, Stan
Hi Stan,
I’d be fascinated to know. Many inverter OEMs are hesitant to speak out about regulatory burden because they don’t want to put “on the bottom of the pile” for the next round of approvals or the like.
One callout here (may be common knowledge, wasn’t for us) is that Solar Victoria approval is only relevant if you are eligible and want to take advantage of the rebate, or want to sell back to the grid. We weren’t eligible for the rebate, and solar feed-in pays absolutely f-all now, so we went ahead with our Powerwall 3 install and are very happy we did.
For a government department serving the taxpayer this should be transparent and open.
Anything we say will therefore be “a conspiracy” as we are provided meaningless responses.
What’s worse the “Solar Victoria Complaint Handling Process” is equally complicit providing the same “They don’t meet the requirements” response.
Its farcical … when’s the next state election?