Solar panels in Geraldton

Where the installs are going

Geraldton's solar numbers are strong for a city of its size. Strathalbyn, Wandina and Glenfield are the newer suburbs where most recent installs have gone, and the older parts of the city, with their sixties and seventies brick homes on big blocks, have been adding systems steadily. The long, hot summer and the cooling load it brings are the main reason.

Roofs and homes in Geraldton

Wind and salt define Geraldton roofs. The afternoon southerly is strong enough for most of the year that the mounting system needs proper engineering, not just a standard rail kit, and salt from the Indian Ocean reaches well inland, so coastal-rated hardware is the right call for the whole city. Roofs are mostly Colorbond or tile on single-storey brick homes, with very little shade, which is ideal. Dust from the Mid West's dry summers settles on panels, and a rinse a couple of times a year makes a noticeable difference.

The network: Western Power

Geraldton is on Western Power's network and Synergy's retail area, so the Distributed Energy Buyback Scheme applies, paying more for late afternoon and evening exports than for daytime ones. With a summer that runs long and hot, a west-facing array is worth considering here, and a battery does useful work through the evening. Single-phase homes have an export limit, and larger systems need Western Power's approval before they connect. Dust and the summer heat both push panel temperatures up, so a well-ventilated array matters here as much as anywhere in the state.