Correct Solar Panel Orientation

Orientation of the panels.

Correct solar panel orientation.

For the best results solar panels should be oriented towards the south. True north is not the same as magnetic north. Even with this decrease in performance solar panels will produce enough electricity to save you hundreds of dollars a year. Ensuring that solar panels face the correct direction and have an appropriate tilt will help ensure that they produce maximum energy as they are exposed to the highest.

If you are using a compass to orient your panels you need to correct for the difference which varies from place to place. Ground mounted solar panels can even be placed on trackers which adjust the position of the panels throughout the year in order to maximize the amount of sunlight reaching them. Why orientation matters with rooftop solar. Solar panels generate maximum power when they are positioned perpendicular to the sun so that the suns rays hits the panels on a 90 angle.

A solar panel will harness the most power when the sun s rays hit its surface perpendicularly. However to accurately calculate solar power the rooftop orientation and angle of. In general solar panels that are oriented directly east or directly west will produce about 20 percent less electricity than if they were facing south. 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.

Solar panels should always face true south if you are in the northern hemisphere or true north if you are in the southern hemisphere. More optimum orientation of solar panels to get the most from solar panels you need to point them in the direction that captures the most sun. This also helps if you re using a string inverter that connects all the panels together and send the power to a central unit. The placement and orientation of solar panels is just as important as which type of solar panel is used in a given situation.

In australia and the southern hemisphere rooftops that face the north sun perform best and generate the most energy. If ground or wall mounted panels don t work for you solar panels can also be mounted on a building near your house like your garage or a storage shed. This is because the sun is always in the southern half of the sky in the northern hemisphere. At solar noon the irradiance from the sun is at its very highest and you can generate the most power.

This page is designed to help you find the best placement for your solar panels in your situation. But there are a number of variables in figuring out the best direction. In the northern hemisphere the sun is due south at solar noon. Regardless of the orientation experts note that it is more efficient to have a consecutive block of solar panels installed using the same orientation either vertical or horizontal.