Perfect Angle For Solar Panels

For starters there is no single ideal angle for solar panels.

Perfect angle for solar panels.

Photovoltaics produce power when the angle at which the sun s rays hit the panel surface the angle of incidence is small or when light strikes the panel as close to perpendicular as possible. However if you live in an urban area in the united states you might just be able to find the best angle for the photovoltaic panels with your zip code. Ideally a fixed roof mounted solar energy system should be at an angle that is equal to the latitude of the location where it is installed. However when calculating the total amount of peak sun hours received at any location you don t just consider hours with 1000 w m 2 of solar radiation.

The optimum angle varies throughout the year depending on the seasons and your location and this calculator shows the difference in sun height on a month by month basis. Overall the angle of your rooftop has less impact on solar panel performance than the direction your roof faces. At different times of the year the optimal angle may be slightly or even significantly different. In order to collect energy more efficiently solar panels should be angled to face as close to the sun as possible.

The summer optimum tilt angle on the other hand will be 34 15 19. Books and articles on solar energy often give the advice that the tilt should be equal to your latitude plus 15 degrees in winter or minus 15 degrees in summer. One peak sun hour 1000 w m 2 of sunlight. On the contrary in the countries of the southern hemisphere such as south africa and australia the best orientation is true north.

Find the best angle for optimizing solar collection during winter when solar energy is most scarce by multiplying your latitude by 0 89 and then adding 24 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. It turns out that you can do better than this about 4 better. The next question is at what angle from horizontal should the panels be tilted.

Instead you need to add the total amount of solar irradiance received by the location. For instance if your latitude is 34 the optimum tilt angle for your solar panels during winter will be 34 15 49. For instance if your latitude. To get the best out of your photovoltaic panels you need to angle them towards the sun.