Why Do Solar Panels Face South

Solar panels convert light into dc electricity.

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. We re not concerned with the magnetic poles just where the sun is. Does my house have to face south for solar to work. It turns out that the best fixed position for.

Why do solar panels produce more energy when facing south. Since the earth is a sphere sunlight reaches each geographic location with a different angle. West facing solar panels get less sun than those that face south but it s not as little as you may think. To maximize the return on investment the first step is knowing where to install the solar panels.

What you are doing is optimizing your energy production for maximum savings with your utility company. North is the only direction that we don t want to put panels on. We can install panels on south east or west facing roofs. It has a southern offset especially in the winter when the sun is lower in the sky.

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. By the same reasoning if the solar panel is located in the southern hemisphere the panel should instead face in the direction of true north. To do this you should point your solar panel west. Solar panels however need to face solar or geographic south which is the direction towards the south pole.

When you point your solar panels west you are not maximizing the total amount of energy that is produced. 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. The short answer is no. 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.

The sun moves in the sky from east to west each day but it isn t straight overhead unless you are on the equator. The sun doesn t have to be beaming directly on the panels at the perfect angle.