Which Direction Should Solar Panels Face In The Us

In general there s one big rule.

Which direction should solar panels face in the us.

While the angle of your solar panels is important a more important factor in your energy production is going to be the direction your panels face. East facing panels are the opposite to west facing panels. It is at this location that your panels will receive the maximum sunlight throughout the day. Solar panels should face south for any home in america to obtain maximum power generation.

The traditional advice is to position solar panels to be south facing. If you live in the usa or any other country in the northern hemisphere the best direction to face solar panels is south. For the best results solar panels should be oriented towards the south. The best panel direction to maximise self consumption of solar electricity will depend upon a household s electricity usage patterns.

However each of the above only considers. The more sunlight reaches your solar panels the more electricity you can generate and the more money you ll be able to save on your electric bill. They generally produce the most solar energy in the morning hours. If you use most of your electricity during the morning and like to run your heater when you wake up then east facing solar panels could be the right direction for you.

The idea position for solar panels is north facing. Therefore directions like southwest or southeast are fine. If your roof does not face the right direction then surface mounted panels or pole mounted panels may be your best bet. This is because for those of us living in the northern hemisphere the sun is always along the southern part of the sky as we complete our yearly orbit around it.

Recently the new york times and popular science even purported that solar panels should face west rather than south to avoid unintended consequences. However if the local power company charges higher prices in the afternoon your panels should face west to maximize the dollar savings. This is because the sun is always in the southern half of the sky in the northern hemisphere. If you re in the u s.

Or elsewhere in the northern hemisphere the best direction for solar panels to face is true south though there is an exception. Since most sunlight comes from the south this will make your panels more productive. These produce the most electircity overall as long as there is no shading from trees buildings or other obstructions. The most optimum direction to face your solar panels is somewhere between south and west.