When you re thinking about getting solar panels to adorn your rooftop and power your home there s a lot to consider.
Which way to face a heated solar panel.
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.
Ensuring that solar panels face the correct direction and have an appropriate tilt will help ensure that they produce maximum energy as they are exposed to the highest.
The placement and orientation of solar panels is just as important as which type of solar panel is used in a given situation.
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.
Since the sun rises in the east solar panels facing in that direction are more productive in the morning.
It is at this location that your panels will receive the maximum sunlight throughout the day.
However you would want to face your solar panels in the opposite direction of where your shadows face.
To correct the compass reading your solar installer will calculate the magnetic declination of your site.
This is a simple tried and true way to find the perfect direction and like i said you can do it with no tools.
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.
A solar panel will harness the most power when the sun s rays hit its surface perpendicularly.
The most optimum direction to face your solar panels is somewhere between south and west.
For the best results solar panels should be oriented towards the south.
True south can also be calculated at noon when shadows from vertical objects run north south.
As a result solar panels facing south produce the most electricity.
This is because the sun is always in the southern half of the sky in the northern hemisphere.
If your roof does not face the right direction then surface mounted panels or pole mounted panels may be your best bet.
The direction in which panels will generate over 99 9 of maximum possible output.
So to help people decide what is the best direction to face their panels for all the australian capitals i ll describe.
Solar south or geographic south.
The direction solar panels should face is true south a k a.
Another simple method is to look at your house on.
Consider reading about how a solar panel works before moving forward.
Different results can be expected based on its orientation.
Of course most people don t get to decide which direction they face their solar panels.
On the other hand if you live in the southern hemisphere you can use this same technique.