Why Do The Solar Panels Have To Face South

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.

Why do the solar panels have to face south. 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. 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. 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 putting some panels on the south and others on the east and west the difference in production can be minimized even further. Well when it comes to solar panels west is second best. It has been known that south facing solar panel in the northern hemisphere can get the most out of sunshine. Usually this is the best direction because solar panels will receive direct light throughout the day.

And when it comes to orienting solar panels most people will simply choose the south which the compass points to. But what if you don t have a suitable south facing roof. If you can move them a few times per year they will be a few percent more efficient if they are a little more horizontal in the summer and a little more vertical in the winter. 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.

But always south facing. In the northern hemisphere the sun crosses the sky a little to the south which means putting solar panels on a south facing roof is the best way for homeowners to capture the most solar energy. We re not concerned with the magnetic poles just where the sun is. On many homes they ll have some east west and south facing roof where panels can be placed.

In the northern hemisphere the general rule for solar panel placement is solar panels should face true south and in the southern true north. However the electricity system is not as simple as it sometimes seems and the best direction to face solar panels may actually be west. Go west young one. However there is a difference between magnetic south and true south that must be considered.

This is so that you can expose your solar panels to as much light as possible to optimize their energy production.