Installing Solar Panels Facing South

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

Installing solar panels facing south.

The direction solar panels should face is true south a k a. If you have an unshaded west facing roof you can still install solar panels and save money. Solar panels work best when they re directly facing the sun and the sun sheds the most light during the middle of the day when it s to the north of australia. 25 x 80 20.

A study of 110 000 california houses with rooftop solar systems confirmed that a vast majority of the panels are pointed south. 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. The conventional wisdom says no solar should never be installed on a south facing roof. But keep in mind every house is unique.

We ran a few calculations and found that se and sw facing placements can expect to generate around 94 of the electricity a south facing install would. Generally it s common knowledge in the solar industry that these south facing panels should be tilted between a 30 and 40 degree angle. Solar panels should face south for any home in america to obtain maximum power generation. The most optimum direction to face your solar panels is somewhere between south and west.

This being the case the general best practice to date has always been to position solar panels facing south in order to capture the maximum amount of sunlight overall. Therefore directions like southwest or southeast are fine. 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. 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.

If your roof does not face the right direction then surface mounted panels or pole mounted panels may be your best bet. In sydney south facing solar panels will typically produce around 28 less energy than north facing panels and the steeper the roof the less electricity they will produce. In other words to get the same amount of electricity as a south facing installation a west facing one would need to be 25 bigger. It is at this location that your panels will receive the maximum sunlight throughout the day.

Updated may 18 2020. Solar south or geographic south. For most australians south is the worst direction modules can face and some people consider installing panels facing south almost as large a mistake as installing them upside down. The optimum placement to maximise generation is to face the panels south but that might not be possible for your property.

Workers for solarcity installing solar panels in camarillo calif.