Queensland-based electricians are eligible for solar lighting rebates for their business customers. Jamie Janides explains how it works and how business customers can access up to $12,500 in rebates.

For Queensland-based electricians, you may have already been approached by your business customers with queries relating to the Queensland Government rebates for switching to energy-efficient equipment.

The Queensland Business Energy Saving and Transformation (QBEST) Rebates scheme was launched in October 2023 to support small-to-medium businesses to reduce their energy consumption by installing energy-efficient equipment. The funding closes on 30 June 2025

Now listed under the ‘LED’ category of the program, the Queensland Government has approved the inclusion of SBL2 series solar bollard lights. This means your small to medium business customers based in QLD may be eligible to receive a rebate of up to $12,500 when they upgrade their existing 240V lighting bollards with solar bollard lighting.

What your customers should know about the rebate

Eligible businesses can receive a rebate of up to 50% of the purchase and installation cost (GST exclusive) of the SBL2 series solar bollard lights, up to a maximum of $12,500 (a minimum spend of $8,000 (GST exclusive) is required).

To be eligible for the rebate your business customers need to:

• Hold a valid Australian Business Number (ABN):
  • Businesses with multiple locations under one ABN can only apply for one location.
  • Businesses with multiple locations with different ABNs for each location (e.g. franchise business) may apply for each location.
• Be registered for GST.
• Not be a public company within the meaning of the Corporations Act 2001.
• Have its headquarters in Queensland and be operating from premises in Queensland.
• Employs two to 199 full-time employees (at least two, but no more than 199 full-time or equivalent employees) including the business owner.
• Not have received funding for this equipment under a previous round of this scheme or any other government funding (meaning financial assistance, other than a loan, provided by federal, state or local government).

SBL2 Series solar bollard lights

The SBL2 series solar bollard lights are industrial-grade stand-alone solar lights that businesses can use to light up their pathways, driveways, stairways, jetties and pontoons, car parks, outdoor reception areas and grounds.

The sealed self-contained design combined with high quality impact resistant construction with proven market performance makes the SBL2 S Model ideal in high risk areas where continuous lighting is required no matter what situation arises.

The bollards comply with Australian and New Zealand standards:

• IP68 Certified: AS/NZS 60529:2004, IPx8, IP4x, IP6x and submersible up to 3m
• IK10 Certified: IEC 62262:2002 and can withstand impact from debris and vandalism

The bollards operate in full shade and provide light from dusk to dawn with four to ten nights of battery backup depending on the power model.

Bollard construction and installation

The solar bollards use 316 stainless steel-grade fasteners and marine-grade aluminium poles. The domes are made from the highest industrial grade SABIC SLX Lean polycarbonate. This is critical for solar bollard lights as UV light will make low to mid-range grade UV stabilised polycarbonates brittle and cause them to lose their transparency in as little as three years. When the polycarbonate loses its transparency, the solar panel won’t charge efficiently, the light won’t diffuse properly and the product will fail.

Ease of installation is a key feature – the solar bollards are pre-programmed, so after the customer’s 240V lighting bollards have been removed the solar bollards just need to be mounted.

Mounting heights can be as low as 800mm and up to 4m high. Most solar bollards are mounted between 1m and 1.2m. The ideal mounting height is 1m in most applications, although this can change through lighting design and compliance with Australian Pathway Standards.