A household installs rooftop solar and is permitted to export

Network approval takes three to ten business days and the installation takes one. Then the system sits on the roof, generating, not permitted to export, waiting for a meter that a party the household never chose has fifteen business days to deliver and often does not.

energyOne standard residential system, up to 10 kW single-phase, on an existing home draft compare across jurisdictions

58 days elapsed
longest dependent chain

9 discrete steps
across 4 bodies

52% waiting on availability
scheduling or queue, not assessment

21 days saved by concurrency
vs. 79 if run end-to-end

Where the time goes

Critical-path days only. Steps that run alongside others are real work but do not lengthen the process, so counting them here would overstate the prize.

queue	30d	Waiting behind unrelated work in a backlog.
applicant	17d	Waiting on the applicant to supply or fix something.
assessment	10d	Someone is genuinely evaluating the merits.
third party	1d	Waiting on an external body outside the regulator's control.

30 of 58 elapsed days are spent waiting for a person or a meeting rather than for a judgement to be formed. Removing that time changes no assessment standard and lowers no bar -- it is the cost of scheduling alone.

The process, step by step

Applies when: A household contracts to install a rooftop solar system and wants to export to the grid.

#	Step	Who	Why it waits	Clock	Typical	Basis
1	Quote from an accredited installer application The subsidy is applied here, at the point of sale, by the installer.	Solar Accreditation Australia	applicant	—	14 estimate	—
2	Network connection approval application Pre-approval to connect embedded generation, with an export limit attached. after Quote from an accredited installer 37d slack	Distribution network service provider	assessment	—	7 published	—
3	Installation inspection The physical work. One day. after Network connection approval 36d slack	—	third party	—	1 estimate	—
4	Certificate of electrical safety and compliance certification Lodged by the licensed electrician under state law. after Installation 33d slack	—	applicant	—	3 estimate	—
5	Certificates created and validated registration after Certificate of electrical safety and compliance 12d slack	Clean Energy Regulator	third party	—	21 estimate	—
6	Meter installed or reconfigured inspection A bidirectional meter, arranged by the retailer, performed by a metering coordinator the household did not choose. after Certificate of electrical safety and compliance 3d slack	Metering coordinator	queue	21	30 p90 60d reported	—
7	Network authorises export decision after Meter installed or reconfigured	Distribution network service provider	assessment	—	3 estimate	—
8	Emergency backstop capability enabled certification Remote curtailment capability, required by AEMO, legislated five separate times on five separate dates. after Network authorises export	Distribution network service provider	assessment	—	0 published	—
9	System exporting and credited registration after Emergency backstop capability enabled, Certificates created and validated	—	assessment	—	0 estimate	—

on the critical path scheduling/queue = delay not caused by the assessment itself

Proposed changes

One inverter standard, one accreditation, one subsidy — and five emergency backstops across six years merge
AEMO requires the capability to curtail rooftop solar during minimum-demand events. South Australia legislated it in September 2020, Queensland in February 2023, Victoria in October 2024, Western Australia in May 2026, and New South Wales is rolling it out by postcode through 2026.
The panels are on the roof, generating, and not allowed to export digitise ~21d
More than half the elapsed time between deciding to install rooftop solar and being permitted to export is waiting for a meter. A regulated 15-business-day limit exists; the ombudsman has recorded waits beyond 40 business days with no timeline given.

Sources

For standard residential systems up to 10 kW single-phase or 30 kW three-phase, DNSP connection approval typically takes 3-10 business days
Almost every distribution network service provider in Australia caps solar exports at 5 kW per phase
The retailer assigns a metering coordinator to install a bidirectional meter; only once the meter is in place and the DNSP authorises can the system legally export
From 1 February 2019 regulations required digital meters to be installed within 15 business days
Energy and Water Ombudsman NSW case: more than 40 business days after notification that a smart meter needed reconfiguration
Cheaper Home Batteries Program: SRES extended to batteries between 5 kWh and 100 kWh from 1 July 2025, delivering around a 30 per cent discount

Something wrong here?

This page is wrong in some way -- every page like it is. If you have run this process, the most useful thing you can do is tell us which step took longer than we say and why. Edit data/processes/au-rooftop-solar-connection.toml and open a pull request, or send us the correction.