Port Macquarie Climate
Port Macquarie’s climate is beautiful with a warm summer and cold winter with an average high of 27.6° in January and an average low of 6.5° in July.
Port Macquarie Solar Potential
Solar panels on a typical north facing roof in Port Macquarie will receive an average amount of sunlight energy equal to about 5.25 hours of full noon sunshine a day.
A new 6 kilowatt solar system on a north facing roof could be expected to produce an average of around 31.5 kilowatt-hours a day or 11,497 kilowatt-hours a year.
Solar Feed-In Tariffs In Port Macquarie
Feed-in tariffs are a payment for surplus electricity generated by rooftop solar that isn’t used by the household or business but is instead sent into the grid. The best electricity plan for a solar owner depends upon individual circumstances - and you can compare plans using SolarQuotes’ electricity price comparison tool
The Rooftop Solar Application Process In Port Macquarie
Having your installer guide you through the application process for rooftop solar is strongly recommended. They will be able to let you know much solar electricity you will be permitted to export at your location and assist you in determining what size (capacity) system will best suit your needs.
Maximum Solar System Size In Port Macquarie
Households in Port Macquarie will require Council permission to install rooftop solar systems of more than 10 kilowatts. Apart from this condition, there aren't any restrictions on the amount of solar people can install, regardless of if the household has single phase or 3 phase power. However, there is a limit on how much solar electricity they can export.
An installer will need to perform VRC - this stands for for Voltage Rise Calculations. These calculations will determine if the household will be permitted to export solar electricity. Generally households will be allowed to export 5 kilowatts, but it may be more, or nothing at all.
To install rooftop solar with an inverter size larger than the amount of solar electricity they are allowed to export. an export limiting device, or an export limiting inverter must be installed; which will increase the cost of the installation. In practice, for most people limited to 5 kilowatts of electricity exports, installing an inverter of 5 kilowatts or less capacity will likely be the most cost effective option.
If an export limited rooftop solar system generates electricity surplus to the household’s consumption and greater than what it is permitted to export, then any excess electricity is wasted and no feed-in tariff is received for this surplus.
Port Macquarie Electricity Usage
A Port Macquarie household of 3 people that doesn’t use bottled LPG gas will use an average of around 6,940 kilowatt-hours a year. The average Port Macquarie home uses 30% more electricity in winter than summer.
Port Macquarie Roofs And Solar Panel Tilt
The good news is the best angle to install solar panels is the angle your roof is already at. Frames that alter the tilt of the panels can be used, but these really aren't necessary or worth it these days, unless there are special circumstances/
The majority of rooftops across Australia have a pitch of either 15 or 22.5 degrees. But Port Macquarie also has homes with steeper roofs of 30 degrees or more. But there is very little difference in output over a year between a shallow 15 degree roof and a steep 45 degree roof; so don't sweat it too much. Shallow roofs provide a slight advantage in the case of households that have high summer air conditioning demand, while steeper roofs provide a mild advantage to those who use more electricity on winter days. For north facing panels, those on a shallow 15 degree roof will produce around 17% less electricity in January and around 23% more electricity in July compared to a steep, 45 degree roof.
How Solar Panel Direction Affects Output In Port Macquarie
North facing solar panels will produce the most electricity in Port Macquarie, but installing panels facing east or west can certainly be worthwhile if doing so increases a household’s self consumption of solar electricity.
Over a year, compared to north facing panels, panels facing directly east will produce around 9% less electricity, while panels facing directly west will generate approximately 15% less. Panels facing north-east will produce around 1% less, and panels facing north-west will produce about 6% less.
Getting The Most From Rooftop Solar
For households with higher electricity demand in the mornings and afternoons than the middle of the day, an east-west split of rooftop solar panels can be a very good way to increase self consumption of solar electricity.
From around the 23nd of November to the 22th of February, thanks to daylight savings time, the sun doesn’t set until after 7:30 pm in Port Macquarie. This is useful for powering air conditioners in the late afternoon with solar electricity, especially when using west or north-west facing panels.
Some roofs in Port Macquarie are shaded by trees for a portion of the day, especially in winter when shadows are longer. The use of microinverters or DC optimisers can help limit the loss of solar panel output caused by shading.
Getting The Most Out Of What Is Often Called The Solar Rebate
Many households and business can benefit from solar installations where solar panels have a total capacity that greater than their inverter. While this will result in some loss of output from the solar panels on clear days when the sun is high in the sky, greater output will be generated when the sun is low or skies are overcast. This results in the "smoothing" of solar electricity generation through the day, which can help life a household’s self consumption and as such, improving the economic payback of rooftop solar.
A rooftop solar system’s total panel capacity can be up to one third larger than the size of its inverter (this is called oversizing) and still receive the full amount of STCs; which lower the cost of installing solar panels and is often referred to as the "solar rebate" even though technically it isn't a rebate. The solar rebate is being gradually reduced on the first of January each year until it ends in 2030. That being the case, the earlier a system is installed, the greater the rebate available.
As households in Port Macquarie may be limited to a exporting a maximum of 5 kilowatts of solar electricity, installing a 5 kilowatt inverter and up to 6.65 kilowatts of solar panels can be a cost effective strategy for increasing the output of the system without having to pay extra for an export limiting device or an export limited inverter.
Upgrading Electricity Meters For Solar Power
An import/export electricity meter will need to be installed when rooftop solar is added to a home and in homes where there is an older switchboard with fuses rather than circuit breakers; this will need to be upgraded. The cost of a switchboard upgrade can be $1,400 or more.
Rooftop Solar And Emissions
Solar electricity generated in Port Macquarie will mostly displace black coal power generation in NSW, along with a smaller amount of natural gas generation. This makes rooftop solar in Port Macquarie very effective at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The Grid in Port Macquarie
The high voltage, long distance transmission lines that deliver grid electricity to Port Macquarie are managed by Transgrid and the low voltage distribution of electricity to homes and businesses is managed by Essential Energy.
