Solar Panels On South Facing Roof

Why orientation matters with rooftop solar.

Solar panels on south facing roof.

Do you have to have a south facing roof to have solar panels. Even with this decrease in performance solar panels will produce enough electricity to save you hundreds of dollars a year. In sydney south facing solar panels will typically produce around 28 less energy than north facing panels and the steeper the roof the less. An ideal south facing roof here is pitched at 7 12 39ish degrees and the north side of that roof will produce less than half as much electricity.

Adding modules on the north side of the roof will not add much bang for the customer s solar buck and would qualify as solar malpractice in my book. Debating on a having part of my solar panels 6 out of 20 facing west to catch some sun in the winter or b am i better off making more sun all facing south and banking that extra power made in a partial credit from the electric company for use in the winter time. The results backed us up on this theory showing poor. What happens if your roof isn t facing south.

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. 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. As we re in the northern hemisphere the best solar panel orientation is obviously south but. If you don t have a south facing roof east or west facing panels can also be an option you will typically see only a 20 decrease in energy production from a roof facing due east or west.

Even if your roof doesn t face directly south you can still produce quite a bit of electricity. The closer to horizontal the better it will be for solar. The flatter a south facing roof is i e. The sun rises at 5 52 am and begins directly shining on the south facing panels at 8 15.

Your solar panel orientation is very important when it comes to maximising the amount of electricity that your solar panels will produce. The diagram shows how the sun passes over a house with solar panels on the south and west facing roof surfaces. In the uk south facing panels will generate more than other orientations. However the economics of installing solar panels on a roof that does not face the south still usually stack up for the homeowner.

When the sun shines onto the surface at an angle the panel will still generate electricity but it will be less effective. Let s walk you through an average day august 6th to be exact. For most australians south is the worst direction modules can face and some people consider installing panels facing south almost as large a mistake as installing them upside down. Solar panels perform at their best when the sun is shining straight on to the panels.