{"id":29626,"date":"2019-04-24T09:01:07","date_gmt":"2019-04-23T22:31:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=29626"},"modified":"2019-04-24T09:01:07","modified_gmt":"2019-04-23T22:31:07","slug":"solar-panels-tilt-angle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-panels-tilt-angle\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Tilt For Solar Panels By Australian Capital: It’s Not Equal To Latitude"},"content":{"rendered":"

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This article is about the best angle to tilt solar panels for the maximum possible energy yield over a year.\u00a0 It’s a common belief that panel tilt from horizontal should equal a location’s latitude, but this is not quite correct. In 7 of Australia’s 8 capitals the best angle is at least 3 degrees less than the latitude.<\/p>\n

If you are looking to install a typical solar power system on a normal sloped roof this information may not be much use to you.\u00a0 While tilt frames on a sloped roof can slightly improve output, they’re normally not worth the extra expense.1<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0 But if you are installing ground mounted solar or putting panels in tilt frames on a flat roof, the best tilt to maximise energy yield will be useful.<\/p>\n

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Note this is about tilting solar panels. Tilting windmills is a bad idea.<\/p><\/div>\n

Best Tilt Angle Is Not Equal To Latitude<\/h2>\n

The further from the equator a place is, the higher its latitude.\u00a0 Darwin is pretty close to the global waistline, so its latitude is only 12\u00ba while Hobart is almost halfway to the south pole and has a latitude of 43\u00ba.<\/p>\n

Solar panels tilted at an angle equal to the latitude will face exactly midway between the sun’s highest point in the sky in summer and its lowest point in winter.2<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0 This seems like a reasonable way to maximise solar electricity output, but because days are longer in summer it usually helps to tilt them a few degrees lower to take advantage of this.\u00a0 Seasonal differences in average cloud cover can also alter the optimal angle.<\/p>\n

Optimal Solar Panel Tilts For Capitals<\/h2>\n

I have used the PVWatts<\/a> site to determine the optimal tilt for north facing solar panels in each capital for maximum annual output.\u00a0 While there is a small risk the PVWatts figures are off, I trust them to be accurate:<\/p>\n