For the best results solar panels should be oriented towards the south.
Roof orientation for solar panels.
However solar panels can be orientated on any roof that faces south of either east or west.
But what if you don t have a suitable south facing roof.
In the northern hemisphere the sun crosses the sky a little to the south which means putting solar panels on a south facing roof is the best way for homeowners to capture the most solar energy.
Therefore directions like southwest or southeast are fine.
If the roof is not a feasible location panels and arrays may be mounted on other structures such as garages carports or sheds or ground mounted racks.
Go west young one.
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.
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.
The size of solar panels makes them well suited to be installed vertically on most roofs.
The sun s movements throughout the day.
Orientation of the panels.
Regardless of the orientation experts note that it is more efficient to have a consecutive block of solar panels installed using the same orientation either vertical or horizontal.
Your solar panel installers can help determine if your roof slope is suitable for solar panel installation.
This is because the sun is always in the southern half of the sky in the northern hemisphere.
A roof slope that angles between 15 40 degrees should suffice for most solar power systems.
As we have mentioned before in the southern hemisphere due north is usually the best orientation for panels.
Solar panels should face south for any home in america to obtain maximum power generation.
In summary here are the roof factors that affect your home solar panel performance.
The amount of energy each solar panel produces will be directly reduced by the amount of shade covering each panel so less shade is always better.
Why orientation matters with rooftop solar.
The solar assessor shall identify the orientation azimuth of the proposed array location and show the orientation on the site and roof plans.
South is best west works well too and a mix is ok too.
Individual solar panels can also be adjusted to an optimal angle that maximizes their sun exposure.
Since residential solar s infancy just two decades ago conventional wisdom has dictated that the panels face true south since that orientation is thought to provide them with the maximum possible sun exposure throughout the day.
But not everyone has a perfectly oriented roof.
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.
Well when it comes to solar panels west is second best.