Which Way Does Solar Panels Face

To correct the compass reading your solar installer will calculate the magnetic declination of your site.

Which way does solar panels face.

The most optimum direction to face your solar panels is somewhere between south and west. As you might have guessed the direction your panels face can be a major factor in how much energy your rooftop solar system produces. The direction that your solar panels face is ultimately dependent on whether or not your system is connected through net energy metering nem and under a time of use tou payment structure. Joshua rhodes a postdoctoral research fellow in the webber energy group and the energy institute at the university.

Does my house have to face south for solar to work. We can install panels on south east or west facing roofs. So what direction should solar panels face. For the best results solar panels should be oriented towards the south.

The sun doesn t have to be beaming directly on the panels at the perfect angle. Installing panels that face north is not recommended since it results in the lowest electricity output. For example in brisbane if your panels are facing west 270 and are angled 20 from horizontal you will get 89 of the energy compared to the optimum orentation of north and 30. It is at this location that your panels will receive the maximum sunlight throughout the day.

On the other hand west facing panels are more productive in the afternoon since the sun sets in that direction. True south can also be calculated at noon when shadows from vertical objects run north south. Other solar power posts you may like. 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.

North is the only direction that we don t want to put panels on. Solar south or geographic south. Apart from how much power each panel can produce how many panels you ll need what size and how well they ll work with your rooftop you ll also want to consider the best direction for solar panels to face. Don t let them install solar panels on a north facing roof.

The short answer is no. Solar panels convert light into dc electricity. If your roof does not face the right direction then surface mounted panels or pole mounted panels may be your best bet. Since the majority of solar panel owners keep their system on the grid we can split this grouping into simply those who pay for energy based on a tou payment.

This table shows you how much energy you can expect to get from almost any combination of solar panel direction and angle in the capital cities compared to the optimum orientation. The direction solar panels should face is true south a k a. Since the sun rises in the east solar panels facing in that direction are more productive in the morning. This is because the sun is always in the southern half of the sky in the northern hemisphere.

Net energy metering and time of use.