![\"Solar](\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/winter-solar.jpg\")
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Over the next week or so I’ll write some articles busting solar myths because, if I’ve learned anything from 25 years of internet use, it’s way easier to complain about something than go through the effort of doing something useful.\u00a0 Today I’m tackling solar energy output in winter in Australia.<\/p>\n
Internet commenters have told me, right to my internet face, solar power doesn’t work in winter.\u00a0 These statements don’t even come larded with provisos, exceptions, and caveats.\u00a0 They are bald internet faced lies.\u00a0 While my initial reaction is to roll my eyes so hard I can count all four of my brain cells1<\/a><\/sup> and ignore the idiots, if left unopposed, their nonsense can seep into people’s brains.<\/p>\n To prevent idiocy oozing into people’s brain cells, I’ll show…<\/p>\n By the time you finish this article, your brain should be idiocy resistant.\u00a0 This is because exposure to my idiocy acts like a vaccine.<\/p>\n It’s easy to see solar power works in winter.\u00a0 Here’s the daily output of a 10.56 kilowatt solar system in Adelaide since it was switched on at the start of April:<\/p>\n As you can see, while some days were clearly better than others, there were no days when zero solar energy was produced.\u00a0 This includes the winter month of June, the worst month for solar output in most of Australia.\u00a0 The worst day was the 12th of June when only 8.3 kilowatt-hours were generated.\u00a0 This is 19% of the average daily output of this size system in Adelaide.\u00a0 Only 19% isn’t wonderful, but it’s infinitely more than the 0 kilowatt-hours it would provide if \u00a0“solar doesn’t work in winter” was true.<\/p>\n While July is the coldest month, in most of Australia June is the worst for solar energy output because thanks to the winter solstice.\u00a0 This is the shortest day of the year.\u00a0 Usually, it’s on the 22nd, but this year it’s the 21st.<\/p>\n If you’re considering getting solar power<\/a>, near the winter solstice is the best time to check if your roof suffers any significant shading from nearby trees or buildings, because shadows will be at their longest.\u00a0 If your roof is free of shade on the winter solstice it will be free of shade all year — unless you have some fast-growing trees or buildings nearby.<\/p>\n Here’s a graph showing the average daily generation of a 6.6 kilowatt north-facing solar power system versus its average daily generation in June for each Australian capital:<\/p>\n Darwin stands out with higher solar energy output in winter than summer.\u00a0 This is because:<\/p>\n In the rest of the capitals, the figure for June is considerably lower.\u00a0 As a percentage of the annual daily average, the June daily average is:<\/p>\n The percentage falls the further south the city.\u00a0 Hobartians are the worst off in winter with the lowest total generation and the largest relative decline.\u00a0 This is no surprise at all to people who subscribe to certain modern theories about the shape of the world.<\/p>\n\n
Solar Obviously Works In Winter<\/h2>\n
![\"10kW](\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/adelaide_solar_output.jpg\")
<\/p>\nJune: Month Of Least Sun<\/h2>\n
In Darwin, Winter Is Best For Solar<\/h2>\n
![\"6.6kW](\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/av-vs-june-generation.jpg\")
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