Check Solar Panel Orientation

Solar south or geographic south.

Check solar panel orientation.

A well designed and installed system will minimise these losses. Usually this is the best direction because solar panels will receive direct light throughout the day. Therefore directions like southwest or southeast are fine. In the northern hemisphere the general rule for solar panel placement is solar panels should face true south and in the southern true north.

Even with this decrease in performance solar panels will produce enough electricity to save you hundreds of dollars a year. An additional 3 5 though can be gained by evaluating this more carefully. For the best results solar panels should be oriented towards the south. This solar angle calculator tells you by location the optimum angle to get the best out of your system.

Solar panels should face south for any home in america to obtain maximum power generation. The pull or magnetic declination will vary in direction and strength depending on your location. If you change the tilt from 30 degrees to 15 degrees your production then will be only 15 percent lower than if your. The earth has a fluid outer core made of iron and nickel which pulls the needle of your compass slightly away from true south.

The direction solar panels should face is true south a k a. You can also improve your solar panels performance by adjusting the tilt of your panels downward. 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. Orientation of the panels.

How to determine the best solar panel orientation for your property orientation. If you don t have any north facing roof space available but you do have two sides that face east and west. This is because the sun is always in the southern half of the sky in the northern hemisphere. Solar panels should always face true south in the northern hemisphere north in the southern hemisphere tilted from the hoizontal at a degree equal to your latitude plus 15 degrees in winter or minus 15 degrees in summer.

For australia solar power yields are higher when panels face north. Another consideration is shading which can also affect the productivity of your system. To get the best out of your photovoltaic panels you need to angle them towards the sun. In fact all southern hemisphere locations should ideally position panels in a northerly direction.

The optimum angle varies throughout the year depending on the seasons and your location. System losses cabling loses about 2 of power while the inverter can lose 3 4 of power in the conversion from dc to ac power. Solar panel orientation and tilting panels facing due north will generate more than those facing east or west and they should be optimally tilted. The effect of orientation on solar output the direction solar panels should ideally face for optimum sun exposure varies depending on location.