Solar Panels South Facing Roof

Even with this decrease in performance solar panels will produce enough electricity to save you hundreds of dollars a year.

Solar panels south facing roof.

Why orientation matters with rooftop solar. However solar panels can be orientated on any roof that faces south of either east or west. You can add an extra panel if you have the room to make up the difference. To correct the compass reading your solar installer will calculate the magnetic declination of your site.

On a south facing roof the panels produce energy when the sun is high in the sky but as the evening sets in that production decreases. A littlle east or west causes no problems. 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. Therefore directions like southwest or southeast are fine.

The closer to horizontal the better it will be for 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. We also took at look at a tilt angle of 40 for the south facing orientations mainly just to show that a south facing roof with a steep pitch is probably not a good place for solar panels. Solar panels should face south for any home in america to obtain maximum power generation.

True south can also be calculated at noon when shadows from vertical objects run north south. Solar south or geographic south. The direction solar panels should face is true south a k a. If your panels face due east or west you will loose about 9 over what the south facing panels would provide.

If the panels face west instead they get more energy during the afternoon an evening.