Solar Panels South Facing Roof

For the vast majority of u s.

Solar panels south facing roof.

The direction solar panels should face is true south a k a. Property owners the ideal angle for a solar panel installation is close or equal to the latitude of your home on a south facing roof. If the panels face west instead they get more energy during the afternoon an evening. Solar panels are most effective when installed on south facing roofs.

When the sun shines onto the surface at an angle the panel will still generate electricity but it will be less effective. Solar south or geographic south. Do you have to have a south facing roof to have solar panels. 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.

However solar panels can be orientated on any roof that faces south of either east or west. To correct the compass reading your solar installer will calculate the magnetic declination of your site. North facing panels on the other hand generally produce much less energy than south facing panels and usually present challenges for homeowners looking to go solar as panels installed on these roofs will not produce enough to make financial sense. The conventional wisdom says no solar should never be installed on a south facing roof.

But in the far north the difference is not so great and in townsville south facing solar panels will only produce around 17 less electricity in total than north facing ones. On a south facing roof the panels produce energy when the sun is high in the sky but as the evening sets in that production decreases. 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. An easy way to determine the direction that your roof faces is to use google maps.

Best solar panel angle by zip code why does the angle of a solar panel matter. Others say it s fine as long as you install the additional technologies. Solar panels perform at their best when the sun is shining straight on to the panels. Therefore directions like southwest or southeast are fine.

If you don t have a south facing roof east or west facing panels can also be an option you will typically see only a 20 decrease in energy production from a roof facing due east or west. In the uk south facing panels will generate more than other orientations. True south can also be calculated at noon when shadows from vertical objects run north south. Look up your property and use the grid to find true south then compare your roof.