Solar is a great way to harness energy from the sun to lower your electricity bills, improve your energy independence and reduce our community carbon emissions.
We have subscribed our residents to be able to use SunSPOT, which is a solar and battery calculator to help estimate the size of solar system for your household, business or school, the cost, and importantly, how much you will save on your electricity bills.
As a Sutherland Shire resident, you can enter your address and electricity usage from your bill, and SunSPOT will help you work out:
- What size solar system you need?
- Is your roof too shady?
- Should you get a battery?
This solar calculator will recommend a position for your solar panels based on the slope, orientation and shading of your roof. This will provide a more accurate estimate of your solar generation for each hour of the year.
Calculate your solar requirements using the SunSPOT calculator
Sutherland Shire residents can also access a range of SunSPOT resources, including:
- tips for choosing the right solar installer
- understanding kilowatts and tariffs
- solar for apartments
- solar for businesses.
50% of Sutherland Shire's emissions come from using electricity. Our SunSPOT subscription supports our community to investigate solar to help reduce these emissions, as we strive for net zero by 2050.
This calculator was developed by experts from the University of NSW, Australian PV Institute with support from federal and state government.
SunSPOT uses data from Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) to calculate how much sunlight hits a roof across a typical year. It also uses 3D spatial analysis with LiDAR data to check the roofs orientation and slope and assess the shading for each part of the roof. SunSPOT uses 2020 aerial photos, which might not show changes in trees or buildings over the past 4 years. The system and battery cost estimates come from Solar Choice's price indexes.
SunSPOT has been developed by photovoltaic engineers and data analysts from the University of NSW, and the not-for-profit solar research organisation the Australian PV Institute along with support from the NSW and Australian governments and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).
If you don't have your bill information, then the SunSPOT calculator does an estimate of typical electricity usage, based on the climate in that region, household profile, business type and typical electricity plans.
Please check the SunSPOT website full conditions of use.
- Although we have made every attempt to ensure the results from SunSPOT are as accurate as possible, it is important to understand that they are only estimates.
- They rely on the accuracy of the underlying mapping and solar radiation data used, and the modelling for solar generation and usage is based on weather in a typical year. The financial savings are initially based on average electricity usage profiles and indicative tariffs.
- You can improve the accuracy of your results by adding in more information about your electricity usage and tariffs, but they will still be estimates and should not be taken as a recommendation.
- If you include a battery, it will be modelled only to minimise export to the grid and import from the grid, and so may not reflect other ways a battery could be operated.
- By using this tool, users are deemed to have consented to this condition and agree that this tool is used entirely at their own risk. UNSW, the APVI and/or the Commonwealth of Australia are not responsible for any action taken or not taken in reliance on the tool.
SunSPOT was developed by
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