Frequently asked questions
To coincide with the SA Government Dynamic Export requirements that went live on 1 July 2023, SA Power Networks has introduced Flexible Exports as a standard connection option, which is available to all eligible customers throughout South Australia.
The Flexible Exports option is available to new or upgrading solar customers in South Australia, however if you are an existing solar customer and wish to check if your current inverter is eligible to switch your connection agreement to Flexible Exports, speak to your solar installer.
Speak to your solar installer – they can help you to understand your options and how Flexible Exports could benefit you.
No. If you do not wish to opt-in to Flexible Exports, you can choose to have a fixed export limit (either 0kw or 1.5kw dependant on your area)
New regulations introduced by the South Australian Government mean that any exporting solar system installed from 1 July 2023 must be compatible with Flexible Exports. Talk to your installer to ensure they set up your system correctly at time of installation.
In the event of an internet outage, the solar exports will ramp back down to 1.5kW or 0kW (depending on the area you live in) until the internet connection comes back online. Ensuring to set up and maintain a reliable internet connection will maximise the benefits you receive. Your solar installer will advise on the best method of internet connection when they discuss the options with you.
With the Flexible Exports option, you should be able to export more than on a fixed export option. Outcomes will vary with the network location, inverter capacity, and reliability of your internet connection. Past performance of Flexible Exports at your location will be available in the Eligibility Checker.
The export limits are automatically adjusted to match the capacity of the network in your area at any given time and the maximum capacity of your inverter. Check your address on the Eligibility Checker for historical performance of Flexible Exports in your area.
Most electricity retailers offer different feed-in tariffs as part of their energy plans. Go to Australian Government’s Energy Made Easy website to find the best offer for you.
The offer will be rolled out suburb by suburb and we expect that it will be available in all suburbs by mid 2025. For existing solar customers, your current arrangements will not change until you are looking to upgrade your system.
Use Flexible Exports Eligibility Checker to find out if Flexible Exports is available in your area. (At the start of this web page)
Customer supplied by single-wire earth-return networks (SWER) have historically only been able to install up to 5kW of solar capacity and 5kW of battery capacity. These networks have only a single wire and are typically used to supply electricity over long-distances in regional areas.
SA Power Networks has now released our Flexible Exports offer to customers supplied by SWER networks. This means that customers can now install twice the amount of solar and batteries that they could before – 10kW of solar and 10kW of batteries. Customers supplied by SWERs may also be able to export up to 10kW from their systems, however we note that some areas will be more limited in their export capacity than others and customers in certain regions may not be able to export at all
There are special requirements for installing solar and battery systems on SWER networks, which SA Power Networks is advising to installers operating in these areas. Please contact our Customer Services team for more information.