Endeavour Energy Solar Approval and Export Limits: A Plain-English Guide for Penrith & the Blue Mountains
Before any solar or battery system switches on, Endeavour Energy has to approve it. Here’s how long that takes, what export limit you’ll get and what changes above 30kW, including the new rules starting this November.
The Short Answer
Most homes and small businesses get through Endeavour Energy’s approval quickly. If your total inverter size is under 10kW on single phase, or under 30kW on three phase, your installer applies online and you can often get an instant Permission to Connect.
Above that, Endeavour does a detailed assessment, because larger systems can affect other customers on the network.
Export limits are changing as well. From November 2026, flexible exports of up to 10kW per phase become the default for eligible new and upgraded systems. And if you’ve been approved but haven’t installed yet, there’s a 31 December 2026 deadline you need to know about.
Penrith, Emu Plains, the Hawkesbury, the Blue Mountains and Lithgow areas are generally on Endeavour’s network. Check your bill or Endeavour’s coverage map to confirm yours.
Which Approval Path Are You On?
What matters is your total inverter capacity, not the size of your panels. Add up the inverters on the system, including any you plan to add, and check where you land.
Not sure what your system will produce? Try our solar output calculator. Planning a battery too? Start with our battery size calculator.
| Total inverter size | Process | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Under 10kW single phase, or under 30kW three phase | Fast-track micro connection, applied for online | Often an instant Permission to Connect on an already-connected site. Inverter must meet AS 4777. |
| Above the micro limit, up to 5MW | Small and medium embedded generator assessment (standard connection service) | Detailed assessment. You may need your own analysis and to fund network studies. Systems up to 1MW can often connect at low voltage with minimal technical analysis. |
| Over 200kW | As above, plus extra technical requirements | Interface protection is required under AS/NZS 4777.1. |
| 5MW and above | Staged, negotiated process | Technical studies and fees. |
Source: Endeavour Energy, connect a generator and small and medium embedded generators.
How Approval Works, and How Long It Takes
Your installer lodges the application, not you. The steps run in order:
- Check the site. Single or three phase, switchboard, existing solar, and whether your premises is part of a shared or embedded network.
- Lodge the application. Online through Endeavour’s Connections Portal. Systems above the micro limit go through the detailed process.
- Permission to Connect. Endeavour’s approval sets conditions, including your maximum approved export capacity. The installer must build to it.
- Install and certify. The installer commissions the system, submits the Certificate of Compliance for Electrical Work and registers it on AEMO’s DER Register.
How long? Fast-track micro systems are often approved instantly. Endeavour doesn’t publish one turnaround for larger systems. Industry guides commonly quote around 4 to 8 weeks for 30 to 100kW business systems, with bigger or study-heavy projects taking longer.
After install, Endeavour may audit the system. It says inspections can take several months to happen after connection, so a system that’s switched on isn’t a sign it’s been checked.
Export Limits, Explained
An export limit caps how much spare solar can flow out to the grid. It doesn’t limit what you use at home. Endeavour approves a maximum export capacity for each connection, and your Permission to Connect states it. What actually leaves your property on any day varies with weather, local demand and how much your home is using.
| Option | Export cap | Needs |
|---|---|---|
| Older fixed limit | 5kW | Nothing extra |
| Flexible exports (new default) | Up to 10kW per phase, most of the time | CEC-approved smart inverter, internet, net export metering |
| Fixed plan (opt out) | 1.5kW | Compatible smart inverter |
Check your own Permission to Connect for your actual figure. Source: Endeavour Energy, flexible exports.
Does the limit matter to you? Only when your solar output minus what the house is using is more than the limit, which happens at midday on bigger systems. A battery soaks up that excess instead of wasting it. Our battery size calculator and federal battery rebate guide show what that could look like.
What's Changing This Year
NSW is introducing a new CER Installer Portal and an emergency backstop for rooftop solar. It’s rolling out in stages by postcode, so the dates differ depending on where you live.
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| 2 November 2026 | The portal and backstop requirements start in Endeavour’s first-stage postcodes around Campbelltown and Liverpool. Penrith and Blue Mountains postcodes aren’t in that first stage. Later stages follow by postcode. |
| November 2026 | Flexible exports become the default connection option for eligible new and upgraded systems. |
| 31 December 2026 | Approved systems must be installed and commissioned by this date, or you reapply under the new rules. |
| Early 2027 | The NSW Government expects the requirements to have rolled out across the state. |
Approved but not installed yet?
Endeavour has updated its Permission to Connect for solar. If your approved system isn’t commissioned by 31 December 2026, you’ll need a new application through the NSW CER Installer Portal, and the emergency backstop requirements will apply. If you’re mid-project, talk to your installer about timing now.
What the emergency backstop means
It’s a last-resort measure. In rare emergencies, when demand is very low and solar supply is too high, AEMO can instruct Endeavour to temporarily reduce rooftop solar exports. For new and upgraded systems up to 200kW, it means a CSIP-AUS-compliant inverter and a short capability test at install, confirming a live internet link to Endeavour. Existing systems aren’t affected, and like-for-like replacements and embedded networks are exempt.
Sources: Endeavour Energy, NSW emergency backstop mechanism and the solar emergency backstop. Rollout dates for our postcodes aren’t published yet, and we’ll update this page when they are.
What's Different Up Here
General advice on Endeavour approval only goes so far. Here’s what we watch for in Penrith, the Hawkesbury and the Blue Mountains.
Busy feeders, tighter limits
Endeavour notes that in areas with lots of solar, inverters automatically reduce their export to keep local voltage within safe limits. That’s why two neighbours with the same system can see different results, and why a battery helps in busy streets.
Long cable runs and voltage rise
Sheds, rural blocks and properties with a long run from switchboard to inverter are where voltage rise bites. Endeavour flags it as a common compliance issue, and failing it can mean upgrading your cabling.
Internet at the inverter
Flexible exports and the backstop both rely on a live internet connection. Garages, sheds and valley properties can have weak Wi-Fi, so plan a wired or boosted connection before install. Without one, a low static export limit applies.
Outages and cold mornings
Storms and bushfire season make backup worth planning at approval stage. See our blackout protection guide, and how to keep batteries working in the cold.
Local pages: Penrith, Emu Plains, Springwood, Katoomba and Lithgow.
Endeavour Energy Solar Approval: Your Questions
For fast-track micro systems (total inverter size under 10kW single phase or under 30kW three phase) on an already-connected site, your installer applies online and you can often get an instant Permission to Connect. Systems above that go through a detailed assessment. Endeavour doesn’t publish a single turnaround for these, and industry guides commonly quote around 4 to 8 weeks for 30 to 100kW business systems, with larger or study-heavy projects taking longer. After install, Endeavour may audit the system, and it notes inspections can take several months.
Endeavour approves a maximum export capacity for each connection, shown on your Permission to Connect. It has described its fixed limit as 5kW. From November 2026, flexible exports of up to 10kW per phase most of the time become the default for eligible new and upgraded systems, and a fixed opt-out plan caps exports at 1.5kW. Check your own Permission to Connect for your actual figure.
Flexible exports adjust your export limit in real time, so you can export up to 10kW per phase most of the time. They need a CEC-approved smart inverter connected to the internet, plus net export metering. They become the default from November 2026 for eligible new systems. You can opt out to a fixed plan, but that caps exports at 1.5kW.
Yes. Endeavour’s process covers adding or increasing a solar system, a solar battery or another generator, so batteries go through the same connection process. Tell your installer about any battery plans before the application goes in. See our federal battery rebate and NSW battery incentives guides.
Above the micro limit, Endeavour assesses the system as a small or medium embedded generator, because it can affect other customers. Systems from 30kW up to 5MW that are exempt from AEMO generator registration are offered its standard connection service. Systems up to 1MW can often connect at low voltage with minimal technical analysis, but you may need your own analysis and to fund network studies. Systems over 200kW also need interface protection.
It’s a last-resort measure that lets AEMO instruct Endeavour to temporarily reduce rooftop solar exports in rare emergencies, when demand is very low and solar supply is too high. It applies to new and upgraded systems up to 200kW from late 2026, rolling out by postcode, and means CSIP-AUS-compliant equipment plus a capability test at install. Existing systems aren’t affected, and like-for-like replacements and embedded networks are exempt.
Endeavour has updated its Permission to Connect so that approved systems must be installed and commissioned by 31 December 2026. If commissioning isn’t completed by then, a new application must be submitted through the NSW CER Installer Portal and the emergency backstop requirements will apply. Talk to your installer about timing as soon as you can.
New equipment must still be CSIP-AUS compliant, but your installer must configure a low static export limit, specified in your connection agreement, which applies until connectivity is available. It’s worth sorting a wired or boosted connection before install so you can use flexible exports.
Get Your System Sized for Your Endeavour Approval
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