Australia clean energy finance program

In late July 2026 the Australian government announced an extra $150 million for its ANZ Energy Efficient Asset Finance Program, extending discounted financing to small and medium‑sized enterprises for rooftop solar, batteries, electric vehicles and energy‑efficient equipment. The boost, delivered through a partnership between ANZ Bank and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), adds a 0.4 percent annual interest discount from each partner, effectively lowering borrowing costs by 0.8 percent per year. Since the scheme’s 2017 launch it has financed more than $444 million for over 1,600 businesses, with a recent example of a family‑owned food producer increasing capacity by 30 percent and cutting costs by 20 percent.

A few days later, on 2 August 2026, the CEFC unveiled a separate AU$100 million financing package for up to 16 hybrid solar‑plus‑storage projects that will connect directly to distribution networks. Called the Distribution Connected Accelerator Program (DCAP) and delivered with infrastructure debt manager Infradebt, the scheme targets “the missing middle” of Australia’s clean‑energy transition by providing concessional senior debt for projects up to 5 MW. The DCAP builds on the earlier AU$150 million CEFC commitment to Infradebt, expanding the agency’s role from SME‑focused financing to mid‑scale renewable projects and aiming to unlock capacity in distribution networks ahead of 2027.