Which Direction Should Fixed Solar Panels Face In Australia
To correct the compass reading your solar installer will calculate the magnetic declination of your site.
Which direction should fixed solar panels face in australia. 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. In fact all southern hemisphere locations should ideally position panels in a northerly direction. Net energy metering and time of use. The direction solar panels should ideally face for optimum sun exposure varies depending on location.
For the best results solar panels should be oriented towards the south. Australia being in the southern hemisphere experiences a sun that is predominantly coming at us from the north. Solar panels however need to face solar or geographic south which is the direction towards the south pole. This is because the sun is always in the southern half of the sky in the northern hemisphere.
The most optimum direction to face your solar panels is somewhere between south and west. Solar south or geographic south. 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. It s determined by the shape of their roof.
Of course most people don t get to decide which direction they face their solar panels. Once again referring to the graph. 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. 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.
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. True south can also be calculated at noon when shadows from vertical objects run north south. The direction solar panels should face is true south a k a. 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 solar panels face. If your property is located in the northern hemisphere panels facing. If your roof does not face the right direction then surface mounted panels or pole mounted panels may be your best bet. The direction in which panels will generate over 99 9 of maximum possible output.
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. It is at this location that your panels will receive the maximum sunlight throughout the day.