Best Direction To Orient A Fixed Solar Panel

While the angle of your solar panels is important a more important factor in your energy production is going to be the direction your panels face.

Best direction to orient a fixed solar panel.

In general there s one big rule. Panels mounted on a standard pitch roof facing east or west will produce approximately 15 less output than panels mounted on a south facing roof of a standard pitch. Or elsewhere in the northern hemisphere the best direction for solar panels to face is true south though there is an exception. However there is a difference between magnetic south and true south that must be considered.

The rule is that if you live in the southern hemisphere you should point your panels true north and if you live in the northern hemisphere you should point them true south. Solar panels should face south for any home in america to obtain maximum power generation. If your roof does not face the right direction then surface mounted panels or pole mounted panels may be your best bet. It is at this location that your panels will receive the maximum sunlight throughout the day.

This is because the sun is always in the southern half of the sky in the northern hemisphere. However solar panels can be orientated on any roof that faces south of either east or west. During the spring the best angle is 45 and during the summer when the sun is high in the sky it s best to have a low tilt at 20. Usually this is the best direction because solar panels will receive direct light throughout the day.

There is a difference. The most optimum direction to face your solar panels is somewhere between south and west. On the contrary in the countries of the southern hemisphere such as south africa and australia the best orientation is true north. If you re in the u s.

Orientation of the panels. Now a compass tells you magnetic north and south but it does not show you true north and south. In this case for the solar panels to get their best performance a steep angle of 60 is best. Since solar panels are more productive when the sun s rays are perpendicular to their surfaces the certainly best orientation is the one directly true south azimuth angle 180.

Therefore directions like southwest or southeast are fine. The more sunlight reaches your solar panels the more electricity you can generate and the more money you ll be able to save on your electric bill.