{"id":56172,"date":"2021-11-22T12:06:30","date_gmt":"2021-11-22T01:36:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=56172"},"modified":"2021-11-22T22:52:02","modified_gmt":"2021-11-22T12:22:02","slug":"solar-flat-roof-east-west-tilts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-flat-roof-east-west-tilts\/","title":{"rendered":"Solar Panels On A Flat Roof? Consider East-West Tilts"},"content":{"rendered":"

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To maximise the solar energy generated over a year, the perfect roof to install solar panels on in Australia is large, north-facing and inclined at an angle close to the location’s latitude.<\/p>\n

Panels mounted parallel to this perfect roof will be optimised for annual energy yield, and in most parts of Australia, should seldom need cleaning. Thanks to their angle, rain will slide off, cleaning as it goes.<\/p>\n

Flat roofs are not ideal for solar.<\/p>\n

If you mount the panels flat, the biggest problem is not reduced energy yield compared to north-facing panels. The biggest problem is rain pooling on those flat solar panels. They won’t self-clean in the rain, and grime will build up over time. This will compromise your energy yield and potentially slowly eat the seal between the aluminium frame and the glass.<\/p>\n

The Clean Energy Council Installation Guidelines state:<\/p>\n

“A minimum tilt of 10\u00b0 is recommended to take advantage of self-cleaning during rain events. Where panels are installed at a tilt angle less than 10\u00b0, the customer shall be advised about the need for more frequent cleaning of the modules, and this should be included in the recommended maintenance schedule.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Some people are happy to live with flat panels and either accept the reduced energy from grime build-up or clean them regularly.<\/p>\n

But if you don’t want flat panels on a flat roof, the obvious option is to install them on tilt frames. And the traditional thinking on a residential roof is: if you are going to the effort and expense of tilt frames, you may as well tilt the solar panels to the north and at the optimum angle<\/a> for the location – approximately<\/a> the latitude.<\/p>\n

This logic makes sense in the bygone era of expensive solar panels. You wanted to squeeze as much energy as possible from each panel.<\/p>\n

But now solar panels are so cheap, the homeowner’s priority is more often squeezing as much energy as possible from the roof area. That can often lead to a different system design than the traditional approach of maximising yield from each module.<\/p>\n

Getting the most energy from a flat roof.<\/h2>\n

To get the most energy from a flat roof, you need to maximise:<\/p>\n