Solar Panel Facing Direction

The research is the first of its kind to evaluate the energy production of solar panels oriented in different directions.

Solar panel facing direction.

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. 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. This is the direction your solar panels should face.

Different results can be expected based on its orientation. True south can also be calculated at noon when shadows from vertical objects run north south. On the other hand if you live in the southern hemisphere you can use this same technique. To correct the compass reading your solar installer will calculate the magnetic declination of your site.

Solar panels however need to face solar or geographic south which is the direction towards the south pole. For the best results solar panels should be oriented towards the south. Solar south or geographic south. Since the sun rises in the east solar panels facing in that direction are more productive in the morning.

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. The most optimum direction to face your solar panels is somewhere between south and west. According to the concord consortium makers of energy3d solar energy modeling software a home in boston ma with panels that face west would get 80 of the electricity that a house with south facing panels would. Pecan street analyzed 50 homes in the austin texas area.

This is because the sun is always in the southern half of the sky in the northern hemisphere. 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. You could even stick a stick in the ground and take note. 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.

The direction solar panels should face is true south a k a. Some had only south facing panels others had west facing panels and some had both. However the economics of installing solar panels on a roof that does not face the south still usually stack up for the homeowner. By the same reasoning if the solar panel is located in the southern hemisphere the panel should instead face in the direction of true north.

However you would want to face your solar panels in the opposite direction of where your shadows face. Net energy metering and time of use. As a result solar panels facing south produce the most electricity. Consider reading about how a solar panel works before moving forward.