Solar Panel Mounting Direction

The traditional advice is to position solar panels to be south facing.

Solar panel mounting direction.

However there is a difference between magnetic south and true south that must be considered. For the best results solar panels should be oriented towards the south. The most optimum direction to face your solar panels is somewhere between south and west. In the northern hemisphere the general rule for solar panel placement is solar panels should face true south and in the southern true north.

True south can also be calculated at noon when shadows from vertical objects run north south. If your roof does not face the right direction then surface mounted panels or pole mounted panels may be your best bet. The rule is that if you live in the southern hemisphere you should point your panels true north and if you live in the northern hemisphere you should point them true south. It is at this location that your panels will receive the maximum sunlight throughout the day.

Locating the best direction to point your solar panels can be accomplished very quickly. Usually this is the best direction because solar panels will receive direct light throughout the day. To do this you should point your solar panel west. This means that your solar panels will be put in a unique direction specifically to maximize energy production between this time range.

The direction solar panels should face is true south a k a. This is because the sun is always in the southern half of the sky in the northern hemisphere. Solar south or geographic south. While the angle of your solar panels is important a more important factor in your energy production is going to be the direction your panels face.

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.