See the Light: How to Improve Results for Your Solar Panel

While solar technology has been around for decades now, it still feels like a relatively new technology.  Harnessing solar power almost feels like generating power out of nowhere; it's clean, it's free once the panels are installed, and it's very convenient.  However, not all panels are made equal, and not all households experience their effectiveness the same way.  If you're not seeing the results you expected from your panels, here are a few suggestions to try and improve matters for you.

Remove Obstructions

Panels don't just extract solar power from the air around them.  They do require direct sunlight.  As such, if there are any trees or other obstructions blocking your panels from facing the sun directly, these will need to be removed.  Ideally, they should be clear on all sides so that no matter what time of day it is, when the sun is shining down, the panels are right there and waiting.

Change Direction

For the absolute best results, solar panels in Australia should be placed on a north-facing roof.  If your house faces east-west instead, you may always struggle to see excellent results.  It's unfortunate, but there's little to be done.  Still, it's certainly worth moving your panels to see if another direction suits them better.  Another option would be to construct a structure that allows the panels to face north – but naturally, this would require a lot of effort.  Of course, if your panels were incorrectly placed on the wrong side of the roof during initial installation, then that is an easy fix which will soon see improvements.

Faulty Panels

Solar panels are a technology just like any other in that they can be installed incorrectly, they can break, and they can be faulty at the point of manufacture.  As such, if everything else is in good working order, it may be the case that your panel itself is the issue.  Have a solar panel expert take a look at them – preferably from a company other than the one who installed them to ensure that you're getting an unbiased second opinion.

It is a myth that it needs to be overtly sunny for solar panels to work, so the weather will rarely be the problem.  Frankly, the best course of action is always to call out an expert for their advice on your panels rather than attempting to diagnose the issue yourself; that way, whatever the concern may be, you've got a solar panel specialist there to solve it.