Solar South Facing Roof

Why orientation matters with rooftop solar.

Solar south facing roof.

After 6 pm the south facing roof is no longer receiving direct sunlight. The direction solar panels should face is true south a k a. 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. Roof angle or pitch roof orientation how south facing a roof is and location.

Do you have to have a south facing roof to have solar panels. Solar south or geographic south. There is an optimum angle for solar panels on a roof. The tilt of the roof matters a great deal.

With solar panels requiring about 15 square feet each you need about 300 square feet of south or west facing roof space to fit 20 panels on your roof. The sun sets at 8 20 pm and as long as the west facing roof isn t blocked by obstructions it received light up until the end data from 3d sun path and kesian solar elevation calculator under tou summer peak times are typically between 3 and 8 pm. The conventional wisdom says no solar should never be installed on a south facing roof. Solar panels should face south for any home in america to obtain maximum power generation.

In the uk south facing panels will generate more than other orientations. The pull or magnetic declination will vary in direction and strength depending on your location. Pitch the slope of your roof isn t as important as the orientation but it can affect your solar energy output. A north facing array on that same building will produce 1 145 kwh kwp a difference of 16 compared to the south facing array.

Even with this decrease in performance solar panels will produce enough electricity to save you hundreds of dollars a year. Panels mounted on a standard pitch roof facing east or west will produce approximately 15 less output than panels mounted on a south facing roof of a standard pitch. The average us home solar system size is 5 kilowatts or 20 250 watt panels. However solar panels can be orientated on any roof that faces south of either east or west.

Within the solar industry it s common knowledge that the optimal orientation of solar photovoltaic pv panels in the northern hemisphere is typically south to maximize electricity production over the life of the system. There are three main factors which go in to the calculation of how much sun a roof receives. Recently however there has been much discussion and even incentives being offered for orienting pv systems west. The earth has a fluid outer core made of iron and nickel which pulls the needle of your compass slightly away from true south.

With a 2 12 pitched roof 9 5 tilt the south facing array will produce 1 361 kwh kwp. Solar panels work best when they re directly facing the sun and the sun sheds the most light during the middle of the day when it s to the north of australia. Therefore directions like southwest or southeast are fine. Solar panels perform at their best when the sun is shining straight on to the panels.