Why Do The Solar Panels Have To Face South

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.

Why do the solar panels have to face south.

Face panels south for non tou ratepayers for those who are not part of a tou model with their utility company the direction that you want to face your solar panels is south. It has been known that south facing solar panel in the northern hemisphere can get the most out of sunshine. It turns out that the best fixed position for solar panels is pointed south and tilted approximately the degrees of latitude of the location. On many homes they ll have some east west and south facing roof where panels can be placed.

We re not concerned with the magnetic poles just where the sun is. This is so that you can expose your solar panels to as much light as possible to optimize their energy production. And when it comes to orienting solar panels most people will simply choose the south which the compass points to. However there is a difference between magnetic south and true south that must be considered.

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. However the electricity system is not as simple as it sometimes seems and the best direction to face solar panels may actually be west. But always south facing. The conventional wisdom in the northern hemisphere is that the best direction to face solar panels is south since that is generally where they d receive the most sunlight.

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. In summary south is the best for solar but east and west are still good too. By putting some panels on the south and others on the east and west the difference in production can be minimized even further. In the northern hemisphere the general rule for solar panel placement is solar panels should face true south and in the southern true north.

But what if you don t have a suitable south facing roof. Go west young one. 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. 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.

Well when it comes to solar panels west is second best.