Why Do Solar Panels Face South

According to the concord consortium makers of energy3d solar energy modeling software a home in boston ma with panels that face west would get 80 of the electricity that a house with south facing.

Why do solar panels face south.

To do this you should point your solar panel west. North is the only direction that we don t want to put panels on. This fact was further emphasized by the 1991 disney film beauty and the beast when céline dion and peabo bryson sang the lines certain as the sun rising in the east. It has a southern offset especially in the winter when the sun is lower in the sky.

Since the earth is a sphere sunlight reaches each geographic location with a different angle. Dave i think i know south is the best way to orient my solar panels or north if you happen to live in the southern hemisphere but do i want to face them magnetic south or true south dave. If your roof faces slightly off south or even straight east west it is still very likely that solar pv could generate savings and income for you. The direction your panels face is certainly a factor in how much they will generate and closer to south is better but it is only one factor.

To maximize the return on investment the first step is knowing where to install the solar panels. Why do solar panels produce more energy when facing south. It turns out that the best fixed position for. The sun doesn t have to be beaming directly on the panels at the perfect angle.

The short answer is no. When you point your solar panels west you are not maximizing the total amount of energy that is produced. Many people ask the question why do solar panels face south a fundamental fact many people are aware of is that the sun rises in the east and sets toward the west. We can install panels on south east or west facing roofs.

Face panels south for non tou ratepayers. Does my house have to face south for solar to work. What you are doing is optimizing your energy production for maximum savings with your utility company. The sun moves in the sky from east to west each day but it isn t straight overhead unless you are on the equator.

Solar panels however need to face solar or geographic south which is the direction towards the south pole. West facing solar panels get less sun than those that face south but it s not as little as you may think.