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.

Perfect angle for solar panels.

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. To get the best out of your photovoltaic panels you need to angle them towards the sun. At different times of the year the optimal angle may be slightly or even significantly different. Overall the angle of your rooftop has less impact on solar panel performance than the direction your roof faces.

For instance if your latitude is 34 the optimum tilt angle for your solar panels during winter will be 34 15 49. The optimum tilt angle is calculated by adding 15 degrees to your latitude during winter and subtracting 15 degrees from your latitude during summer. The next question is at what angle from horizontal should the panels be tilted. However pitch angles between 30 and 45 degrees will work well in most situations.

You then express that in terms of the equivalent number of hours with 1000 w m 2. 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. 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.

It turns out that you can do better than this about 4 better. The summer optimum tilt angle on the other hand will be 34 15 19. On the contrary in the countries of the southern hemisphere such as south africa and australia the best orientation is true north. For starters there is no single ideal angle for solar panels.

In order to collect energy more efficiently solar panels should be angled to face as close to the sun as possible. Instead you need to add the total amount of solar irradiance received by the location. For instance if your latitude. 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.