Optimal Orientation For Annual Collection Solar Panel

While the angle of your solar panels is important a more important factor in your energy production is going to be the direction your panels face.

Optimal orientation for annual collection solar panel.

For example if the location of the solar array is at 50 o latitude the optimal tilt angle is also 50 o. Here two simple methods for calculating approximate solar panel angle according to your latitude. But there are a number of variables in figuring out the best direction. Solar panel orientation and elevation.

Since you can t export your surplus solar electricity for a feed in tariff it makes sense to optimise the tilt to match your consumption. Tilting panels at say 40 degrees will give a much more consistent solar output through the year than tilting at the angle of optimal annual output which is 24 degrees. This page is designed to help you find the best placement for your solar panels in your situation. More optimum orientation of solar panels to get the most from solar panels you need to point them in the direction that captures the most sun.

Photovoltaic solar hot water etc. Pvwatts uses typical year meteorology from each station which is relevant since the data have considerable inter annual variability. A solar panel and orientation of the panel relative to the sun. During the spring the best angle is 45 and during the summer when the sun is high in the sky it s best to have a low tilt at 20.

Orientation of the panels. For the best results solar panels should be oriented towards the south. This page is designed to help you find the best placement for your solar panels in your situation. So we ve established that there s a sweet spot for your solar panel orientation which is directly south and a sweet spot for elevation which is between 30º and 40º.

Calculating the optimal solar panel angle. We assume that the panel is fixed or has a tilt that can be adjusted seasonally. A general rule for optimal annual energy production is to set the solar panel tilt angle equal to the geographical latitude. Essentially the closer a solar panel is located to the equator the more the panel should be pointing straight up.

What angle for solar panels should be chosen to maximize the production all year long. As a rule of thumb solar panels should be more vertical during winter to gain most of the low winter sun and more tilted during summer to maximize the output. This is because the sun is always in the southern half of the sky in the northern hemisphere. In this case for the solar panels to get their best performance a steep angle of 60 is best.

This advice applies to any type of panel that gets energy from the sun. Alternatively the maps below present annual optimal solar collector altitude and azimuth angles and average incident radiation on a surface oriented at the optimal tilt.