Which Direction Should My House Face For Solar Panels

Solar panels facing east or west won t get as much light as those on a northern facing roof.

Which direction should my house face for solar panels.

The sun doesn t have to be beaming directly on the panels at the perfect angle. As you might have guessed the direction your panels face can be a major factor in how much energy your rooftop solar system produces. We can install panels on south east or west facing roofs. Solar panels convert light into dc electricity.

The most optimum direction to face your solar panels is somewhere between south and west. North is the only direction that we don t want to put panels on. Net energy metering and time of use. This is because the sun is always in the southern half of the sky in the northern hemisphere.

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. Where should i install solar panels if the direction of my roof doesn t face the north. The short answer is no. Does my house have to face south for solar to work.

For the best results solar panels should be oriented towards the south. If your roof faces east west rather than north south you have a few options. Orientation of the panels. The following is a guest post by dr.

Apart from how much power each panel can produce how many panels you ll need what size and how well they ll work with your rooftop you ll also want to consider the best direction for solar panels to face. For example in brisbane if your panels are facing west 270 and are angled 20 from horizontal you will get 89 of the energy compared to the optimum orentation of north and 30. Joshua rhodes a postdoctoral research fellow in the webber energy group and the energy institute at the university. This table shows you how much energy you can expect to get from almost any combination of solar panel direction and angle in the capital cities compared to the optimum orientation.

Solar south or geographic south. The pull or magnetic declination will vary in direction and strength depending on your location. The earth has a fluid outer core made of iron and nickel which pulls the needle of your compass slightly away from true south. It is at this location that your panels will receive the maximum sunlight throughout the day.

If your roof does not face the right direction then surface mounted panels or pole mounted panels may be your best bet. 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.