In sydney south facing solar panels will typically produce around 28 less energy than north facing panels and the steeper the roof the less electricity they will produce.
Why are solar panels normally fitted to south facing roofs.
Even with this decrease in performance solar panels will produce enough electricity to save you hundreds of dollars a year.
With solar panels requiring about 15 square feet each you need about 300 square feet of south or west facing roof space to fit 20 panels on your roof.
Not discussed here is the case for going solar in the tropics e g.
These factors all come back to the question of solar panel direction because a west facing array can produce up to 50 more energy than a south facing one during peak hours between about 2 00pm and 8 00pm.
Why orientation matters with rooftop solar.
Cleve hill solar park.
As an example a roof facing due south in brisbane will receive almost as much sunlight as a north facing roof in hobart.
In general solar panels that are oriented directly east or directly west will produce about 20 percent less electricity than if they were facing south.
Darwin and far north queensland.
However the economics of installing solar panels on a roof that does not face the south still usually stack up for the homeowner.
North facing panels on the other hand generally produce much less energy than south facing panels and usually present challenges for homeowners looking to go solar as panels installed on these roofs will not produce enough to make financial sense.
Solar panels perform at their best when the sun is shining straight on to the panels.
This not only benefits you as the solar system owner but there are trickle down effects for the entire grid as well.
If you live in a tropical area your solar panels will be to the north or to the south of the sun depending on the season.
The diagram shows how the sun passes over a house with solar panels on the south and west facing roof surfaces.
When the sun shines onto the surface at an angle the panel will still generate electricity but it will be less effective.
Options for properties with north facing roofs.
In the uk south facing panels will generate more than other orientations.
But in the far north the difference is not so great and in townsville south facing solar panels will only produce around 17 less electricity in total than north facing ones.
Size along with orientation the size of your roof will determine how many solar panels you can install.
Solar arrays that are situated east west can squeeze in more rows and panels and therefore a greater generation capacity than their south or north facing cousins.
The sun rises at 5 52 am and begins directly shining on the south facing panels at 8 15.
