Which Way Should Solar Panels Face In California

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 panels would.

Which way should solar panels face in california.

Updated may 18 2020 solar panels should face south for any home in america to obtain maximum power generation. Usually this is the best direction because solar panels will receive direct light throughout the day. The direction solar panels should face is true south a k a. Face panels west for tou ratepayers for solar panel owners that are under a tou payment system the best way to save money on your electric bill is to produce more energy during peak hours than during off hours.

It is at this location that your panels will receive the maximum sunlight throughout the day. Photovoltaics produce power when the angle at which the sun s rays hit the panel surface the angle of incidence is small or when light strikes the panel as close to perpendicular as possible. To correct the compass reading your solar installer will calculate the magnetic declination of your site. The most optimum direction to face your solar panels is somewhere between south and west.

A new study of 110 000 california houses with rooftop solar systems confirmed that a vast majority of the panels were pointed south because most of the panel owners were paid by the number of. Therefore directions like southwest or southeast are fine. That ratio improves to 82 for homes in los angeles california. However solar panels can be orientated on any roof that faces south of either east or 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. This means that your solar panels will be put in a unique direction specifically to maximize energy production between this time range. True south can also be calculated at noon when shadows from vertical objects run north south. However there is a difference between magnetic south and true south that must be considered.

Solar south or geographic south. To understand this rationale consider the alternatives. In order to collect energy more efficiently solar panels should be angled to face as close to the sun as possible. Consequently the direction that a solar panel faces determines how much energy it can produce.

For the last few decades conventional wisdom among solar experts has held that south is the best direction to face solar panels for installations in the northern hemisphere. Find out in about 60 seconds.