Yes, your home or business will benefit from solar installation in Australia. There is no doubt Australia receives a burst of good sunshine throughout the year, ideal for residential solar installations and commercial solar installations. However, how much solar energy you can generate and how that can benefit your savings depends upon several factors.
Here are a few things to help you check if your home or business is a good fit for solar.
1. Climate
The climate of your location or area is the first factor you should check if your home or business is an ideal candidate for solar power. Though solar panels are effective in most climatic conditions, a sunny location has better benefits. Fortunately, Australia receives plenty of sunlight throughout the year— regardless it is summer, spring, or winter.
A sunny location also means the amount of direct sunlight your area receives. It’s because solar panels are most effective in areas with a good amount of direct sunlight (peak sun-hour) of at least 3 to 4 hours a day.
For instance, Port Macquarie receives 7 to 8 hours of sunlight a day, wherein it gets 4.8 hours of peak sunlight, making it a perfect location for solar power. However, solar panels also work fine in indirect sunlight conditions, but it’s just about performance. The more direct sunlight the roof gets, the more solar panel efficiency.
2. Shade
Shading has a huge impact on the performance of solar panels. So, you must check if your roof is being shaded by surrounding trees, buildings, chimneys, or other structures.
The shadow cast on a single panel or just a part of the single panel affects the performance of your entire solar system. Your house or business may not be an ideal candidate for the solar panel if it has shading. However, it doesn’t mean you can’t go for solar power as there are other solutions like ground mounting systems to utilise solar power.
3. Roof
Your home’s roof is the next most important factor to consider while going solar. It includes the size, angle, and type of roof. To check these conditions, you need an expert solar installer.
Let’s begin with the size of your roof. You may have to measure your roof to check if your roof will accommodate the number of solar panels you need. For instance, a 3kW system includes 12 to 15 solar panels that require anywhere between 205 to 300 square feet.
Secondly, it’s the angle of your roof. In Australia, the ideal solar panel tilt angle is 30 degrees. If you have a flat roof or if your roof is not pitched at the right angle, you may have to consider mounted brackets to place solar panels at the right angle. You can also go for ground-mounted solar panel systems.
When it comes to the direction, north-facing panels are most effective and generate greater solar output. Nevertheless, an east or west-facing rooftop works fine as well.
4. Roof Strength
Finally, it’s the roof type. In Australia, almost all kinds of roofings are suitable for solar panels, except the slate, as they are fragile.
Solar panels weigh heavy and will be sitting on your roof for the next couple of years, may be next 30 years. A typical solar panel system with mounting brackets would weigh approximately around 20kg per square metre. Therefore, it is highly essential to check your roof condition whether they are strong enough to support the weight of solar panels. If your roofs are too old, it is best to install new roofs before solar panel installation.
We know it’s kind of too much work. That’s why we suggest you call our team at Bila Energy to do all this work for you. So contact us if you are located in Newcastle, Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour and the surrounding areas of NSW.
