Why Solar Panels Should Face South

Face panels south for non tou ratepayers.

Why solar panels should face south.

It turns out that the best fixed position for. When you point your solar panels west you are not maximizing the total amount of energy that is produced. 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. Solar panels however need to face solar or geographic south which is the direction towards the south pole.

Solar south or geographic 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. 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. The optimum placement to maximise generation is to face the panels south but that might not be possible for your property.

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. The sun moves in the sky from east to west each day but it isn t straight overhead unless you are on the equator. 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. Solar panels do not have to be pointed in just one direction.

West facing solar panels get less sun than those that face south but it s not as little as you may think. Why solar panels shouldn t always face south you should carefully consider which way to face your solar panels. 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. 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.

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. To correct the compass reading your solar installer will calculate the magnetic declination of your site. The direction solar panels should face is true south a k a. Generally it s common knowledge in the solar industry that these south facing panels should be tilted between a 30 and 40 degree angle.

What you are doing is optimizing your energy production for maximum savings with your utility company.