Which Direction Should Fixed Solar Panels Face In Australia

So to help people decide what is the best direction to face their panels for all the australian capitals i ll describe.

Which direction should fixed solar panels face in australia.

Which direction should solar panels face. True south can also be calculated at noon when shadows from vertical objects run north south. This table shows you how much energy you can expect to get from almost any combination of solar panel direction and angle in the capital cities compared to the optimum orientation. This is because the sun is always in the southern half of the sky in the northern hemisphere.

If your property is located in the northern hemisphere panels facing. There is of course deviance throughout the seasons but ideally solar panels should be facing as close to true north as possible to reduce the impact that the winter seasons have on energy yields. For australia solar power yields are higher when panels face north. Since the majority of solar panel owners keep their system on the grid we can split this grouping into simply those who pay for energy based on a tou payment.

While the angle of your solar panels is important a more important factor in your energy production is going to be the direction your panels face. Net energy metering and time of use. The direction that your solar panels face is ultimately dependent on whether or not your system is connected through net energy metering nem and under a time of use tou payment structure. For the best results solar panels should be oriented towards the south.

For most people in australia the direction you want your solar panels to face is true north and with between 20 50 degrees of tilt depending on how southern or northern you are. The direction in which panels will generate over 99 9 of maximum possible output. It is at this location that your panels will receive the maximum sunlight throughout the day. Of course most people don t get to decide which direction they face their solar panels.

Once again referring to the graph. If your roof does not face the right direction then surface mounted panels or pole mounted panels may be your best bet. To correct the compass reading your solar installer will calculate the magnetic declination of your site. For example in brisbane if your panels are facing west 270 and are angled 20 from horizontal you will get 89 of the energy compared to the optimum orentation of north and 30.

Australia being in the southern hemisphere experiences a sun that is predominantly coming at us from the north. Solar south or geographic south. Solar panels however need to face solar or geographic south which is the direction towards the south pole. It s determined by the shape of their roof.

By the same reasoning if the solar panel is located in the southern hemisphere the panel should instead face in the direction of true north. The direction solar panels should ideally face for optimum sun exposure varies depending on location.