Why Should Solar Panels Face South

Or elsewhere in the northern hemisphere the best direction for solar panels to face is true south though there is an exception.

Why should solar panels face south. In texas the current structure of compensating for the energy produced by solar panels incentivizes south facing panels. If you re in the u s. During the summer the sun is higher up in the sky but it s still on the south side. 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.

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. This is so that you can expose your solar panels to as much light as possible to optimize their energy production. South facing panels are definitely the best and will produce the most energy. Read on or watch the view below to find out why south is often but not always the best direction.

Conventional wisdom in the northern hemisphere is to face solar panels south so they get the most exposure to sunlight during the day. For years homeowners who bought solar panels were advised to mount them on the roof facing south. However what utilities really want are west facing panels to hit peak. You should carefully consider which way to face your solar panels.

In the northern hemisphere solar panels should generally face south toward the sun. 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. In general there s one big rule.

Each solar panel must be exposed to direct sunlight to produce the most electricity. That captures the most solar energy over the course of the day which benefits the homeowner but. We re not concerned with the magnetic poles just where the sun is. 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.

This is due to our location in the northern hemisphere and the fact that the sun is in the southern sky year round in our location.