89 places · sun position · panel angle
Solar data for Australia
Across the 89 places in Australia the best fixed tilt for solar panels runs from 16° in Cairns to 35° in Hobart, and flat ground gets 3.9 to 6.3 peak sun hours a day. Every number is computed for each place.
Solar power in Australia at a glance
Averages over 89 places with climate data, for a fixed array facing north.
- 3.89–4.37
- 4.37–4.86
- 4.86–5.34
- 5.34–5.83
- 5.83–6.31
Peak sun hours a day on flat ground. Each dot is one place.
The sunniest place in Australia is Port Hedland (Western Australia) with 6.31 peak sun hours a day on flat ground; the least sunny is Hobart with 3.89. A 1 kWp array at its best angle makes from 1,383 kWh a year in Hobart to 1,989 kWh in Alice Springs — 1,665 kWh on average.
The best year-round tilt runs from 16° in Cairns to 35° in Hobart. Off-grid systems are sized for the darkest month and do better steeper, at 52° on average: at 70° that month brings 1.40 kWh per kWp a day in Palmerston and 3.18 kWh in Horsham.
Size an off-grid system or open any place below for its sun path, monthly table and tilt curve.
Sunniest places in Australia
Ranked by peak sun hours on flat ground: the yearly average of a day's sunshine energy (NASA POWER climatology). Output: 1 kWp at its best year-round angle.
| Rank | Place | Region | Sun hours/day | kWh per kWp a year | Best tilt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Port Hedland | Western Australia | 6.31 | 1,915 | 20° |
| 2 | Karratha | Western Australia | 6.30 | 1,917 | 20° |
| 3 | Alice Springs | Northern Territory | 6.26 | 1,989 | 25° |
| 4 | Mount Isa | Queensland | 6.24 | 1,940 | 23° |
| 5 | Geraldton | Western Australia | 5.84 | 1,882 | 26° |
| 6 | Palmerston | Northern Territory | 5.77 | 1,717 | 16° |
| 7 | Darwin | Northern Territory | 5.75 | 1,708 | 16° |
| 8 | Broken Hill | New South Wales | 5.73 | 1,914 | 30° |
| 9 | Townsville | Queensland | 5.66 | 1,730 | 19° |
| 10 | Kalgoorlie | Western Australia | 5.64 | 1,865 | 28° |
Least sunny places in Australia
| Rank | Place | Region | Sun hours/day | kWh per kWp a year | Best tilt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 85 | Traralgon | Victoria | 4.32 | 1,490 | 32° |
| 86 | Devonport | Tasmania | 4.20 | 1,488 | 34° |
| 87 | Launceston | Tasmania | 4.18 | 1,491 | 35° |
| 88 | Burnie | Tasmania | 4.10 | 1,440 | 34° |
| 89 | Hobart | Tasmania | 3.89 | 1,383 | 35° |
Solar by region in Australia
Averages of the places in each region, sunniest first. Darkest month: what 1 kWp of off-grid panels at 70° makes a day in the worst month of the year.
| Region | Places | Sun hours/day | kWh per kWp a year | Best tilt | Darkest month at 70° | Sunniest place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Territory | 3 | 5.92 | 1,805 | 19° | 1.60 kWh | Alice Springs |
| Western Australia | 11 | 5.49 | 1,770 | 26° | 2.72 kWh | Port Hedland |
| Queensland | 19 | 5.38 | 1,714 | 24° | 2.10 kWh | Mount Isa |
| South Australia | 6 | 4.99 | 1,682 | 30° | 2.95 kWh | Whyalla |
| New South Wales | 23 | 4.91 | 1,662 | 31° | 2.68 kWh | Broken Hill |
| Australian Capital Territory | 2 | 4.87 | 1,698 | 33° | 2.97 kWh | Canberra |
| Victoria | 21 | 4.62 | 1,581 | 32° | 2.91 kWh | Mildura |
| Tasmania | 4 | 4.09 | 1,450 | 35° | 2.57 kWh | Devonport |
Largest places in Australia at a glance
| Place | Latitude | Best tilt | Off-grid tilt | Sun hours/day (flat) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | 33.9° S | 32° | 58° | 4.65 |
| Melbourne | 37.8° S | 31° | 62° | 4.44 |
| Brisbane | 27.5° S | 27° | 44° | 5.18 |
| Perth | 32.0° S | 27° | 58° | 5.46 |
| Adelaide | 34.9° S | 30° | 60° | 4.99 |
| Gold Coast | 28.0° S | 27° | 46° | 5.07 |
| Newcastle | 32.9° S | 31° | 57° | 4.74 |
| Sunshine Coast | 26.7° S | 26° | 44° | 5.24 |
| Canberra | 35.3° S | 32° | 60° | 4.88 |
| Central Coast | 33.4° S | 31° | 57° | 4.66 |
| Logan City | 27.6° S | 27° | 44° | 5.15 |
| Geelong | 38.1° S | 32° | 62° | 4.41 |
| Wollongong | 34.4° S | 32° | 58° | 4.63 |
| Hobart | 42.9° S | 35° | 66° | 3.89 |
| Townsville | 19.3° S | 19° | 30° | 5.66 |
| Cairns | 16.9° S | 16° | 30° | 5.46 |
| Toowoomba | 27.6° S | 27° | 41° | 5.36 |
| Darwin | 12.5° S | 16° | 0° | 5.75 |
| Ballarat | 37.6° S | 31° | 62° | 4.52 |
| Mandurah | 32.5° S | 27° | 58° | 5.33 |
Daylight and clock time in Australia
In Darwin (12.5° S), the northernmost place, the longest day of the year lasts 12 h 52 min and the shortest 11 h 24 min; in Hobart (42.9° S), the southernmost, 15 h 21 min and 9 h 01 min. Some parts of Australia change the clocks and some do not; the table shows each time zone.
| Time zone | Places | UTC offset | Clocks change in 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia/Sydney | 24 | UTC+10, in summer UTC+11 | Back on Sun 5 Apr, forward on Sun 4 Oct |
| Australia/Melbourne | 21 | UTC+10, in summer UTC+11 | Back on Sun 5 Apr, forward on Sun 4 Oct |
| Australia/Brisbane | 19 | UTC+10 | no daylight saving time |
| Australia/Perth | 11 | UTC+8 | no daylight saving time |
| Australia/Adelaide | 6 | UTC+9:30, in summer UTC+10:30 | Back on Sun 5 Apr, forward on Sun 4 Oct |
| Australia/Hobart | 4 | UTC+10, in summer UTC+11 | Back on Sun 5 Apr, forward on Sun 4 Oct |
| Australia/Darwin | 3 | UTC+9:30 | no daylight saving time |
| Australia/Broken_Hill | 1 | UTC+9:30, in summer UTC+10:30 | Back on Sun 5 Apr, forward on Sun 4 Oct |