Calculating peak sun hours is the most important step when designing the ideal size solar system to power your house. It gives you an idea of how much actual solar irradiance your rooftop receives. Why does solar irradiance matter? I'll explain in a moment.
Here's a chart and Map of the daily average peak sun hours in Australia.
Peak Sun Hours Australia
| Rank | City | Daily Average Peak Sun Hours (Solar irradiance kWh/m2) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Townsville | 6.2 hours |
| 2 | Toowoomba | 6.1 hours |
| 3 | Darwin | 6.1 hours |
| 4 | Perth | 6 hours |
| 5 | Gold Coast | 5.8 hours |
| 6 | Sunshine Coast | 5.8 hours |
| 7 | Cairns | 5.7 hours |
| 8 | Brisbane | 5.6 hours |
| 9 | Bendigo | 5.4 hours |
| 10 | Albury-Wodonga | 5.4 hours |
| 11 | Sydney | 5.3 hours |
| 12 | Adelaide | 5.3 hours |
| 13 | Canberra | 5.3 hours |
| 14 | Central Coast | 5.3 hours |
| 15 | Wollongong | 5.1 hours |
| 16 | Ballarat | 4.8 hours |
| 17 | Melbourne | 4.7 hours |
| 18 | Geelong | 4.5 hours |
| 19 | Hobart | 4 hours |
Summary
- On average Australia receives between 4 - 6 peak sun hours daily.
- On average Sydney, Australia receives about 5.3 peak sun hours daily.
- On average Melbourne, Australia receives about 4.7 peak sun hours daily
- On average Adelaide, Australia receives about 5.3 peak sun hours daily.
Data Resource: I have used PVWatts solar irradiance calculator to create the above list
Tip: Enter the city name in "search bar box" of the table to easily find out the peak sun hours of your city.
Why consider peak sun hours?
Solar panels are designed to produce their wattage output under standard test conditions - STC.
STC includes:
- Solar irradiance: 1000 watts per meter square (1 kWh / m2)
- Temperature: 25°C (77°F)
- Air mass (AM): 1.5
1 peak sun hour is equal to when the sunlight intensity (Solar irradiance) averages about 1 kWh/m2 for an hour.
This is why we consider peak sun hours as a baseline when designing the ideal size solar system for a house.
For example: You need about 1.5 times large solar system in Hobart (4 peak sun hours) than in Townsville (6.2 peak sun hours) to produce the same amount of electricity.
I have explained this topic in detail, where you'll learn how to calculate peak sun hours, and how to use them to select the right size solar system size for your house or for an RV.
Must Read: Peak Sun Hours: Explanation, Importance, How To Calculate?
How to calculate peak sun hours in Australia?
If you want to find out the peak sun hours of your location for every individual month, follow these steps.
- Enter your city name in PVWatts solar irradiance calculator
- Confirm the location with the help of google map
- Click "results"
Let's calculate together.
Step 1
Enter your city name or address and click "GO>>".
step 2
Make sure the calculator picked up the right location with the help of Google Maps. If it does, click "results".
Now you can see the number of peak sun hours your city, country, region, or rooftop receives per day every individual month.
peak sun hours Australia map
