For those who are not part of a tou model with their utility company the direction that you want to face your solar panels is south.
Best direction for solar panels australia.
In fact all southern hemisphere locations should ideally position panels in a northerly direction.
For most people in australia the direction you want your solar panels to face is true north and with between 20 50 degrees of tilt depending on how southern or northern you are.
Variations in the tilt can make a big difference to efficiency though not as marked as with orientation so strive for somewhere between 20 40º.
East west if you are on a low 6 12 cent feed in tariff and you want to maximise your morning and afternoon production.
Due north is the best direction for panels to be facing in the non tropical southern hemisphere anyway although even this is not ideal as the sun moves through the sky during the day and even a north facing array will therefore receive varying amounts of sunlight throughout the day.
The most optimum direction to face your solar panels is somewhere between south and west.
This is so that you can expose your solar panels to as much light as possible to optimize their energy production.
Anything more or less than this will reduce efficiency far too much.
Which direction should solar panels face.
In darwin south facing panels only produce about 15 less electricity overall than north facing panels but as the northern territory still has a high feed in tariff the most cost effective direction to face solar modules is north.
For australia solar power yields are higher when panels face north.
If your roof does not face the right direction then surface mounted panels or pole mounted panels may be your best bet.
Within the brisbane solar industry most people will tell you that the ideal location to place to put your panels is.
North if you are on an old 44 52 cent feed in tariff and want to sell power back to the grid.
Solar panels work best when the light hitting them comes in at a 90º angle so the ideal tilt for australian sun is at 32º.