Best angle for solar panels

Which direction should my solar panel face?

Regardless of where you are on the planet and regardless of the time of year, the sun will of course always rise in the east and set in the west. As we are in the northern hemisphere  and the sun is above the equator, your solar panels will work best if they are south facing. This is because they will be facing the sun all day long. North facing panels will be facing away from the sun and will be inefficient.For the Southern hemisphere, you want to orientate your solar device to the North.

What is the best angle for my solar device?

Whilst everyone can easily agree upon the optimum direction for solar panels, the question of angle of tilt is less straightforward. On the equator it is simple – horizontal is best as the sun will be directly above. At the poles the sun will always be near to the horizon so vertical is best. At other latitudes, such as Europe and North America, the sun will appear at a different angle relative to the Earth at different times of year (i.e. it will be lower in the sky in winter and higher in summer).
This means that if you point your device at where the sun will be at midday on the summer solstice (midsummer) then you may maximize summer efficiency but you’ll lose out in winter when your array will be pointing “over” the sun.

For the Northern hemisphere, your device should be facing as close to south as possible.
For the Southern hemisphere, you want to orientate your solar device to the North.

The best angle for your solar panels to be at is the angle of your latitude.


You can know your latitude from the chart below. Just set your location on the earth and set your latitude by the horizontal line number that cuts your location.

You can also set your solar device for optimum performance in summer and winter. In summertime, the solar panel should be at a lower angle. This is because the sun is higher over head.
In wintertime, the sun moves across the sky at a lower angle. So by angling your solar panels higher, you will catch more sun rays.

If you plan to adjust your solar array tilt angle seasonally, a good rule of thumb is:

• latitude minus 15° in the summer

• latitude in the spring/fall

• latitude plus 15° in the winter

Keeping your solar panels out of the Shade

Shade is the thing that will have the biggest negative effect on the efficiency of solar panels, and it can even cause damage. Before deciding how to position them therefore you should assess the area to see whether there are any surrounding structures or trees as well as moving throughout the day, shadows will be in different positions throughout the year due to changes in the angle of the sun, so if you are in doubt you may need to make an assessment over a six month period in order to see the full range of shadows. You’ll also need to check at different times of the day.

There are computer models available that will give a virtual picture, which would avoid the need to measure over an extended period.

We never forget to recommend you that having a clean world and powerful energy sources is the responsibility of all of us. So as you are here you must play your role by sharing this topic with your friends. We know that your dream is to see our world as a large solar city.

We never forget to recommend you that having a clean world and powerful energy sources is the responsibility of all of us. So as you are here you must play your role by sharing this topic with your friends. We know that your dream is to see our world as a large solar city. - See more at: http://www.solar-city.net/2013/08/solar-radiation-data-necessary-to-go.html#sthash.i2gElOW9.dpuf

We never forget to recommend you that having a clean world and powerful energy sources is the responsibility of all of us. So as you are here you must play your role by sharing this topic with your friends. We know that your dream is to see our world as a large solar city. - See more at: http://www.solar-city.net/2013/08/solar-radiation-data-necessary-to-go.html#sthash.i2gElOW9.dpuf