Are east-west panels or a flat roof worth it?

Yes — an east-west layout typically yields only about 10–15% less per year than the same capacity facing due south (north in Australia), and it spreads production across morning and evening, exactly when households actually use power. For self-consumption, and on flat roofs where east-west packs nearly twice the panels, it is often the smarter design, not a compromise.

Why the “worse” orientation often wins

A due-south array concentrates output in a tall midday peak — impressive on the chart, but a household that is out at work exports most of it for modest returns. East-west halves the array between sunrise and sunset sides: the peak is lower, but production starts earlier, ends later, and overlaps far better with breakfast, evening cooking and EV charging. Since a self-consumed kWh is worth roughly two to three times an exported one under most tariff regimes, the flatter curve frequently earns more money despite fewer kWh.

Flat roofs add practical advantages: east-west rows can stand back-to-back at shallow tilt without shading each other, fitting nearly double the capacity of tilted south-facing rows on the same surface, with lower wind load and no rows sacrificed to row-spacing.

What to do

1. Optimise for money, not for kWh — compare designs on self-consumed value under your tariff, not annual production alone.
2. Get a forecast per orientation — a physics-based model shows the two-humped east-west curve for your exact roof, so you can see how it lines up with your usage before committing.
3. On flat roofs, compare total capacity — 8 kWp east-west often beats 5 kWp south-tilted on the same roof in both kWh and value.
4. Mind the shallow-tilt tax — flat-roof arrays at 10–15° soil faster and shed snow worse; budget an occasional clean into the comparison.