Why Solar Panels Should Face South

This fact was further emphasized by the 1991 disney film beauty and the beast when céline dion and peabo bryson sang the lines certain as the sun rising in the east.

Why solar panels should face south.

Many people ask the question why do solar panels face south a fundamental fact many people are aware of is that the sun rises in the east and sets toward the west. It turns out that the best fixed position for. 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. When you point your solar panels west you are not maximizing the total amount of energy that is produced.

The optimum placement to maximise generation is to face the panels south but that might not be possible for your property. Solar panels do not have to be pointed in just one direction. What you are doing is optimizing your energy production for maximum savings with your utility company. The sun moves in the sky from east to west each day but it isn t straight overhead unless you are on the equator.

Generally it s common knowledge in the solar industry that these south facing panels should be tilted between a 30 and 40 degree angle. A homeowner can buy a device called a tracker that will pivot them over the course of the day like a sunflower so they always face. It has a southern offset especially in the winter when the sun is lower in the sky. Face panels south for non tou ratepayers.

True south can also be calculated at noon when shadows from vertical objects run north south. Solar south or geographic south. 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. 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.

The direction solar panels should face is true south a k a. To do this you should point your solar panel west. Solar panels depend on light from the sky to make electricity and facing them in the right direction will allow your panels to produce the most power at the most important times. Solar panels however need to face solar or geographic south which is the direction towards the south pole.

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