Wagga Wagga Climate
Wagga Wagga experiences an average high of 31.6° in January and an average low of 2.7° in July. Rainfall is low with an average of 573 millimeters per year.
Wagga Wagga Solar Potential
Solar panels on a typical north facing roof in Wagga Wagga will receive an average amount of sunlight energy equivalent to approximately 5.1 hours of full noon sunshine a day. This puts Wagga ahead of Canberra and makes it an excellent location for rooftop solar panels.
A new 6 kilowatt solar system installed on north facing roof could be expected to produce an average of around 25 kilowatt-hours a day or 9,125 kilowatt-hours of clean electricity annually.
Solar Feed-In Tariffs In Wagga Wagga
Feed-in tariffs are a payment to solar owners for surplus electricity produced by rooftop solar that is sent into the mains grid. In NSW the feed-in tariffs available depend on what is offered by electricity retailers. View current feed in tariff rates in New South Wales.
Just which is the best plan for owners of solar power systems in Wagga will vary on individual circumstances. The best plans are the ones offering a balance of a good feed in tariff and low usage and daily charges. You can compare various retailers' offerings using SolarQuotes’ electricity price comparison tool.
The Rooftop Solar Application Process In Wagga Wagga
A solar installer is the best person to guide you through the application process for rooftop solar as they can tell you how much solar electricity you will be allowed to export and help you figure what size system will best suit your requirements.
Maximum Solar System Size In Wagga Wagga
Households in Wagga Wagga will require Council permission where they wish to install rooftop solar systems with capacities of more than 10 kilowatts. Aside from this condition, there no restriction on the amount of solar that can be installed.
However, an installer will need to perform VRC, which stands for Voltage Rise Calculations, to determine if and how much solar electricity can be exported from a system; which is generally around 5 kilowatts, but it may be more or less.
If the desire is to install rooftop solar with an inverter size larger than the amount of solar electricity allowed for export, an export limiting device, or an export limiting inverter will need to be installed; increasing the cost of the installation. This being the case, in most situations where the electricity export limit is 5kW, installing an inverter of 5 kilowatts or less will be the most cost effective option.
In a scenario where a rooftop solar system generates electricity greater than the household’s consumption and what the system permitted to export, feed-in tariff is received for that energy.
Wagga Wagga Electricity Usage
A Wagga Wagga household of 3 people without a gas connection will use an average of around 8,630 kilowatt-hours a year, which is high for Australia. The average Wagga Wagga home uses 13% more electricity in summer than winter as a result of energy-hungry air conditioners.
Savings From Rooftop Solar
The best way to determine how much solar panels can save you in Wagga Wagga, try our solar calculator.
Wagga Wagga Roofs And Solar Panel Tilt
As is the case anywhere in Australia, the best angle to install solar panels is the angle your roof.
The majority of roofs pitches in Australia are either 15 or 22.5 degrees. But Wagga Wagga also has many homes with steeper roofs of 30 degrees or more. However, there is very little difference in output over a year between a 15 degree roof and a steep 45 degree roof. While shallows roofs will provide some additional benefit where air conditioning demand is high in summer, steeper roofs have a slight advantage where more electricity is used on winter days. Compared to panels on a shallow 15 degree roof, those on a steep 45 degree roof will produce around 8% less electricity in January and 13% more in July.
While special frames that alter the tilt of the panels are available, these usually aren't worth the cost unless there are special circumstances, such as rooftop under 10 degrees.
How Solar Panel Direction Affects Output In Wagga Wagga
North facing solar panels will produce the most electricity, but placing panels facing east or west is well worth considering if doing so increases a household’s self consumption of solar electricity.
Panels facing directly east or west will produce almost 20% less electricity than north facing panels over a year in Wagga Wagga. East facing panels will produce more electricity in the morning, while west facing generate more in the afternoon. East facing panels will produce slightly more electricity than west facing ones as mornings are cooler than afternoons and heat is the enemy of solar panel efficiency.
Panels facing north-east or north-west will produce about 5% less electricity than north facing panels. Learn more about solar panel direction (orientation) here.
Getting The Most Out Of Your 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 an effective way to increase self consumption of solar electricity.
From around the 22nd of November to the 19th of February, the sun doesn’t set until after 8:00 pm in Wagga Wagga. The later sunset is useful for powering air conditioners in the late afternoon with solar electricity, if the panels are west or north-west oriented
Where roofs are shaded by trees for a portion of the day, the use of microinverters or DC optimisers can help limit the loss of solar panel output caused by shading.
The Solar Rebate
Many households and business can benefit from solar installations where the solar panels have a total capacity greater than that of their inverter. While it may result in some loss of output from the solar panels during optimal conditions, it will provide more when the sun is low or skies are overcast. This smoothing of production of solar electricity can boost a household’s self consumption, which will accelerate the simple payback of rooftop solar.
Here's an interesting point - rooftop solar system’s total installed panel capacity can be up to one third larger than the inverter capacity and still receive the full amount of STCs, which form the basis of what's popularly known as the "solar rebate" (which technically isn't a rebate) It's worth noting the solar rebate is being reduced on the first of January each year until it ends in 2030, so the earlier a system is installed, the greater the financial benefit.
Installing a 5 kilowatt inverter and up to 6.65 kilowatts of solar panels can be a cost effective way for Wagga households to increase the output of a 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 and for those with an older switchboard with fuses rather than circuit breakers, this will need to be upgraded - which could potentially cost $1,400 or more.
Rooftop Solar And Emissions
Solar electricity generated in Wagga Wagga will mostly displace black coal generation, along with a smaller amount of natural gas based power generation. So as well as saving money, rooftop solar installed in Wagga Wagga is also very effective at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The low voltage distribution of electricity to homes and businesses is managed by Essential Energy.
