Best Direction For Solar Panels On Roof

Or elsewhere in the northern hemisphere the best direction for solar panels to face is true south though there is an exception.

Best direction for solar panels on roof.

If you re in the u s. The most optimum direction to face your solar panels is somewhere between south and west. But what if you don t have a suitable south facing roof. Well when it comes to solar panels west is second best.

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. However solar panels can be orientated on any roof that faces south of either east or west. In general there s one big rule. 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.

It is generally accepted the best direction to face solar panels to get the maximum possible output is directly north. In the northern hemisphere the sun crosses the sky a little to the south which means putting solar panels on a south facing roof is the best way for homeowners to capture the most solar energy. The conventional wisdom in the northern hemisphere is that the best direction to face solar panels is south since that is generally where they d receive the most sunlight. Therefore directions like southwest or southeast are fine.

While this is not a bad direction it is often possible to get a very small boost by having them face slightly away from due north. Outside of tou the biggest factors that influence the direction of your solar panels are shading and other obstructions that impact the panel s exposure to light. 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. Solar panels should face south for any home in america to obtain maximum power generation.

This is because for those of us living in the northern hemisphere the sun is always along the southern part of the sky as we complete our yearly orbit around it. However you would want to face your solar panels in the opposite direction of where your shadows face. This is a simple tried and true way to find the perfect direction and like i said you can do it with no tools. For the best results solar panels should be oriented towards the south.

Go west young one. The traditional advice is to position solar panels to be south facing. On the other hand if you live in the southern hemisphere you can use this same technique. This is because the sun is always in the southern half of the sky in the northern hemisphere.

It is at this location that your panels will receive the maximum sunlight throughout the day.