Understanding Feed-in Tariffs & Export Limits

When your panels make more energy than your home can use, that surplus flows out to the grid. A feed-in tariff is what your retailer pays you for it, and an export limit is the cap your network places on how much you can send. Together they shape the give-and-take between your home and the wider grid.

Understanding both is the difference between feeling shortchanged and designing a system that works in genuine balance with the network around it.

What a feed-in tariff actually pays

Feed-in rates have fallen sharply as the grid fills with daytime solar. Where early adopters once enjoyed generous rates, many households now receive only a few cents per exported kWh. That's precisely why self-consumption, using your own power as you make it, has become far more valuable than exporting it.

Why export limits exist

• Local networks can only absorb so much energy before voltage rises beyond safe limits.
• Common limits sit around 5kW per phase, though this varies widely by network and location.
• Some areas now apply dynamic or flexible exports that adjust in real time to grid conditions.
• A zero-export setup is sometimes required, letting you self-consume without sending anything back.
• Limits protect the shared system so everyone's solar can coexist without destabilising the grid.

Designing for a healthy grid relationship

The smartest response to low tariffs and tight limits is to use more of your own generation. TerraVolt systems lean on intelligent load-shifting and storage to soak up midday surplus, running hot water, pool pumps, or battery charging when the sun is high. AI scheduling treats the grid as a partner rather than a dumping ground, exporting strategically when it's worthwhile and storing when it isn't.

Seen this way, export limits aren't a frustration but an invitation to design a more self-reliant, ecologically considerate home, one that takes only what it needs and gives back thoughtfully.

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