Solar Pv Panels West Facing Roof

If you are planning a ground mount system or have a flat roof surface you might be able to boost the value of your solar pv system by pointing it slightly to the west.

Solar pv panels west facing roof.

West facing solar panels get less sun than those that face south but it s not as little as you may think. Why orientation matters with rooftop solar in general solar panels that are oriented directly east or directly west will produce about 20 percent less electricity than if they were facing south. 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. In contrast a north southern hemisphere facing roof gets sunshine from dawn to dusk.

According to multiple news sources pv arrays should face west or both east and west rather than to the south as is the standard. In winter when the sun is at an angle less than the pitch of the roof the panels will receive no sunlight. However the economics of installing solar panels on a roof that does not face the south still usually stack up for the homeowner. If your southern facing roof has too much shade due to surrounding trees or buildings you still have options.

If your roof is south facing the actual difference in produced energy value between due south and the optimal azimuth was between 0 3 and 0 7 in all the cases we looked at. Cleve hill solar park. These largely misleading reports were generally ignored by the industry. Solar arrays that are situated east west can squeeze in more rows and panels and therefore a greater generation capacity than their south or north facing cousins.

For southern hemisphere homes your solar panels should face true north. You also can mount solar panels on roofs that face east or west on the roof of another building like a barn or garage or on the ground.