Do Solar Panels Need To Face North

Panels will even produce some electricity on cloudy days when you don t see an ounce of sunshine.

Do solar panels need to face north.

However because of the reduction in the total amount of electricity generated compared to north facing panels the increase in self consumption that will result will need to be considerable to make west facing solar panels worthwhile. Since the majority of solar panel owners keep their system on the grid we can split this grouping into simply those who pay for energy based on a tou payment. I would be grateful for any thoughts suggestions on the direction to face solar panels. In locations that are not far to the north such as florida or texas solar panels do not need a drastic tilt.

The direction that your solar panels face is ultimately dependent on whether or not your system is connected through net energy metering nem and under a time of use tou payment structure. Over the last few years we have created the first online solar production calculator that works out the exact solar production that you will get for your home based on the direction and. Solar panels that face north west will produce around 5 less electricity overall than. 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.

The sun doesn t have to be beaming directly on the panels at the perfect angle to work. Or elsewhere in the northern hemisphere the best direction for solar panels to face is true south though there is an exception. If you re in the u s. Solar panels convert light into dc electricity.

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. In general there s one big rule. Net energy metering and time of use. As you move farther to the north the sun has a lower position in the sky and solar panels must be tilted more.

For the best results solar panels should be oriented towards the south. The steeper it is the more it is an issue. West facing solar panels get less sun than those that face south but it s not as little as you may think. Installing panels that face north is not recommended since it results in the lowest electricity output.

This is because the sun is always in the southern half of the sky in the northern hemisphere. North is the only direction that we don t want to put panels on. The flatter the roof the less solar energy production falls when panels face east or west rather than south.