In the northern hemisphere the general rule for solar panel placement is solar panels should face true.
House orientation for solar panels.
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.
The optimum place to install solar panels usually depends on the position inclination and its orientation towards the sun.
The rule is that if you live in the southern hemisphere you should point your panels true north and if you live in the northern hemisphere you should point them true south.
True south can also be calculated at noon when shadows from vertical objects run north south.
However solar panels can be orientated on any roof that faces south of either east or west.
Fixed tilt solar.
Solar panels should face south for any home in america to obtain maximum power generation.
The angle or tilt of a solar panel is also an important consideration.
Orientation of the panels.
You can also improve your solar panels performance by adjusting the tilt of your panels downward.
However what utilities really want are west facing panels to hit peak.
There is a difference.
Solar south or geographic south.
If you change the tilt from 30 degrees to 15 degrees your production then will be only 15 percent lower than if your.
Face the long front side of the home within 20 degrees either side of true south.
The angle that a solar panel should be set.
The direction solar panels should face is true south a k a.
Now a compass tells you magnetic north and south but it does not show you true north and south.
Therefore directions like southwest or southeast are fine.
This positions south facing windows to act as solar collectors that bring heat into the house in winter.
Still an exceptional orientation if the majority of your energy consumption occurs between 10 am and 2 pm daily.
In texas the current structure of compensating for the energy produced by solar panels incentivizes south facing panels.
If you are looking to achieve cost savings by installing your own solar power system it is highly recommended that you put some time aside and carefully analyze and determine the the right location for your solar panels.
Solar panel orientation direction.
Even with this decrease in performance solar panels will produce enough electricity to save you hundreds of dollars a year.
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.
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.
For the best results solar panels should be oriented towards the south.