Solar Panel Pointing To Sunligh

Heat isn t a factor in how much electricity pv solar panels can generate either so a cool spring day can be as productive if not more than a hot summer day.

Solar panel pointing to sunligh.

The violet line is the solar energy per day if the panel is fixed at the winter angle discussed below these figures are calculated for 40 latitude. Trackers are structures which hold the solar panels in order to move and or tilt them according to the position of the sun. For comparison the green line shows the energy you would get from two axis tracking which always points the panel directly at the sun. If ground or wall mounted panels don t work for you solar panels can also be mounted on a building near your house like your garage or a storage shed.

In a state with strong peak sunlight a panel with lower efficiency will likely do the trick. 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 turn allows the solar panels to produce more electricity at the hours when it is needed. 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.

They cannot be mounted on a slanted roof. If your roof does not face the right direction then surface mounted panels or pole mounted panels may be your best bet. Solar panels produce electricity from the photons present in natural daylight rather than from the sunlight itself so panels don t actually need to be installed in direct sunlight to work. For this calculator latitude is positive to the north and longitude is positive to the west of the prime meridian.

However solar trackers can be used on a ground installation or on a flat roof. Now a compass tells you magnetic north and south but it does not show you true north and south. Solar panel efficiency typically ranges from 15 to 20 percent but high end solar panels like sunpower can offer efficiency levels as high as almost 23 percent and above. If your solar panels will have a fixed tilt angle and you want to get the most energy over the whole year then this section is for you.

It is at this location that your panels will receive the maximum sunlight throughout the day. 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. There is a difference.

Select a location from the city pulldown menu or select enter lat long from the pulldown menu and manually enter the latitude longitude and time zone information in the appropriate text boxes. Pointing the panels slightly south west in the direction of the setting sun would allow the panels to produce more energy in the evening when people are home and using more appliances.