Roof Direction For Solar Panels

But what if you don t have a suitable south facing roof.

Roof direction for solar panels.

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. If your roof does not face the right direction then surface mounted panels or pole mounted panels may be your best bet. For the best results solar panels should be oriented towards the south. Go west young one.

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. An easy way to determine the direction that your roof faces is to use google maps. If you re installing solar panels on a roof the azimuth will be determined by which direction your roof points and the tilt will likely be fixed based on the pitch of your roof. To do this you should point your solar panel west.

This is because the sun is always in the southern half of the sky in the northern hemisphere. Well when it comes to solar panels west is second best. Solar panels should face south for any home in america to obtain maximum power generation. On the other hand if you live in the southern hemisphere you can use this same technique.

When you point your solar panels west you are not maximizing the total amount of energy that is produced. Generally it s common knowledge in the solar industry that these south facing panels should be tilted between a 30 and 40 degree angle. 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. Therefore directions like southwest or southeast are fine.

Azimuth is a fancy word for the direction your panels face while tilt is a measurement of their angle up from horizontal. However solar panels can be orientated on any roof that faces south of either east or west. This means that your solar panels will be put in a unique direction specifically to maximize energy production between this time range. Each situation is unique in terms of roof angle property layout and power consumption.

What you are doing is optimizing your energy production for maximum savings with your utility company. Solar panels are most effective when installed on south facing roofs. However you would want to face your solar panels in the opposite direction of where your shadows face. It is at this location that your panels will receive the maximum sunlight throughout the day.

This is a simple tried and true way to find the perfect direction and like i said you can do it with no tools. The most optimum direction to face your solar panels is somewhere between south and west. In some cases your solar installer will install racks that allow the panels to be tilted slightly to maximize production.