Which Direction Should Solar Panels Face In The Us

The more sunlight reaches your solar panels the more electricity you can generate and the more money you ll be able to save on your electric bill.

Which direction should solar panels face in the us.

Since most sunlight comes from the south this will make your panels more productive. Recently the new york times and popular science even purported that solar panels should face west rather than south to avoid unintended consequences. If your roof does not face the right direction then surface mounted panels or pole mounted panels may be your best bet. This is because for those of us living in the northern hemisphere the sun is always along the southern part of the sky as we complete our yearly orbit around it.

It is at this location that your panels will receive the maximum sunlight throughout the day. If you live in the usa or any other country in the northern hemisphere the best direction to face solar panels is south. These produce the most electircity overall as long as there is no shading from trees buildings or other obstructions. They generally produce the most solar energy in the morning hours.

If you use most of your electricity during the morning and like to run your heater when you wake up then east facing solar panels could be the right direction for you. However if the local power company charges higher prices in the afternoon your panels should face west to maximize the dollar savings. 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. The traditional advice is to position solar panels to be south facing.

This is because the sun is always in the southern half of the sky in the northern hemisphere. Solar panels should face south for any home in america to obtain maximum power generation. The most optimum direction to face your solar panels is somewhere between south and west. 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.

In general there s one big rule. However each of the above only considers. If you re in the u s. The best panel direction to maximise self consumption of solar electricity will depend upon a household s electricity usage patterns.

East facing panels are the opposite to west facing panels. However solar panels can be orientated on any roof that faces south of either east or west. This is so that you can expose your solar panels to as much light as possible to optimize their energy production. Therefore directions like southwest or southeast are fine.