Best Orientation For Solar Panels In Australia

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.

Best orientation for solar panels in australia.

Usually this is the best direction because solar panels will receive direct light throughout the day. Directly north isn t always best it is generally accepted the best direction to face solar panels to get the maximum possible output is directly north. This means that for best results the roof pitch of your property should ideally be equal to the latitude angle with the panels mounted at the same angle as the roof. For australia solar power yields are higher when panels face north.

While this is not a bad direction it is often possible to get a very small boost by having them face slightly away from due north. The ideal angle for solar panels in australia is usually equal to the latitude angle of the location of the property. In the northern hemisphere the general rule for solar panel placement is solar panels should face true south and in the southern true north. In the northern hemisphere the sun is due south at solar noon.

Orientation australia being in the southern hemisphere experiences a sun that is predominantly coming at us from the north. Panels facing west produce around 12 less electricity overall than north facing solar panels. If your property is located in the northern hemisphere panels facing south will perform best. This is because the sun is always in the southern half of the sky in the northern hemisphere.

In this case for the solar panels to get their best performance a steep angle of 60 is best. They reach their maximum output around one and a half hours after noon and just before sunset will produce around one quarter of their peak maximum. During the spring the best angle is 45 and during the summer when the sun is high in the sky it s best to have a low tilt at 20. In fact all southern hemisphere locations should ideally position panels in a northerly direction.

Most cost efficient solar panels produce about 270w 300w under direct sunlight. Premium monocrystalline panels can produce up to 330w but are also more. There is of course deviance throughout the seasons but ideally solar panels should be facing as close to true north as possibleto reduce the impact that the winter seasons have on energy yields. They also produce less electricity in the morning but more in the afternoon.

Therefore to get the very best out of your photovoltaic panels you would typically face them due south at the optimum angle so that the panel is receiving as much sunlight as possible at this time. However there is a difference between magnetic south and true south that must be considered. For the best results solar panels should be oriented towards the south.