Solar Victoria Still Snubbing Tesla Powerwall 3

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?

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.