Solar Panels Inclination Latitude

The optimum tilt angle is calculated by adding 15 degrees to your latitude during winter and subtracting 15 degrees from your latitude during summer.

Solar panels inclination latitude.

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. Both of these angles require latitude degrees. For a precise method use the second formula on this page to calculate tilt angle. Latitude and longitude can be in deg min sec or decimal degrees entered in the deg field.

If you enter decimal degrees in the degrees field please clear the minutes and seconds fields or they will be added in if you select a city from the pulldown menu the latitude longitude and time zone fields will be filled in by the program. For instance if your latitude is 34 the optimum tilt angle for your solar panels during winter will be 34 15 49. On the contrary in the countries of the southern hemisphere such as south africa and australia the best orientation is true north. There s a simple rule of thumb for calculating the best tilt angle for fixed mount solar panels.

Tilt the panels to your latitude minus 15. Similarly you can calculate the angle for winter by adding 15. Tilt the panels to your latitude plus 15. It s not a good idea to install your panels to face a suboptimal direction even if it means the best tilt possible.

In boston a solar array at 30 degrees south is still going to produce more electricity than tilted at 42 degrees and facing north. These are general guidelines but you may get better results by customizing your adjustment schedule based on your location. The more exact way to count out the best tilt angle is done as follows. Historically modules were tilted at or near the latitude of the project s location.

The summer optimum tilt angle on the other hand will be 34 15 19. Tilt the panels to your latitude. This orientation optimizes for the sun angles throughout the year pointing the modules as close as possible to the sun s average position in the sky. There are two methods for calculating the tilt angle for solar panels.

Subtract 15 degrees from the latitude at your location during summer and add 15 degrees to your latitude during winter. For a latitude up to 25 take your latitude and multiply it by 0 87 for a latitude between 25 to 50 take your latitude multiply by 0 87 after that you will add 3 1 degrees for a latitude over 50 the most ideal angle will end up being approximately 45 degrees. Since solar panels are more productive when the sun s rays are perpendicular to their surfaces the certainly best orientation is the one directly true south azimuth angle 180.