Solar Panels South Facing Roof

In general solar panels that are oriented directly east or directly west will produce about 20 percent less electricity than if they were facing south.

Solar panels south facing roof.

The results backed us up on this theory showing poor solar radiation levels for south facing roofs at this steep tilt. Solar south or geographic south. The closer to horizontal the better it will be for solar. If your panels face due east or west you will loose about 9 over what the south facing panels would provide.

Even with this decrease in performance solar panels will produce enough electricity to save you hundreds of dollars a year. The flatter a south facing roof is i e. Why orientation matters with rooftop solar. We also took at look at a tilt angle of 40 for the south facing orientations mainly just to show that a south facing roof with a steep pitch is probably not a good place for solar panels.

True south can also be calculated at noon when shadows from vertical objects run north south. 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. If the panels face west instead they get more energy during the afternoon an evening. The direction solar panels should face is true south a k a.

For the northern hemisphere south facing roofs will give you the best results from solar panels. Solar panels should face south for any home in america to obtain maximum power generation. Panels mounted on a standard pitch roof facing east or west will produce approximately 15 less output than panels mounted on a south facing roof of a standard pitch. Therefore directions like southwest or southeast are fine.

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