Optimum Tilt Of Solar Panels

The optimum tilt angle is calculated by adding 15 degrees to your latitude during winter and subtracting 15 degrees from your latitude during summer.

Optimum tilt of solar panels.

The solar panel tilt also depends on when you want the panels to produce the most energy. 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. Two axis trackers use motors to tilt and rotate panels so they stay perpendicular to the sun as it moves through the sky during the day but they re very expensive. In order to collect energy more efficiently solar panels should be angled to face as close to the sun as possible.

Seasonal adjustments to optimal tilt angle. To optimize overall production year round tilt your panels at your latitude. For los angeles a solar panel tilt of 19 degrees works the best. If you can change the angle multiple times a year you may get great output throughout the year.

To lean toward more production in the winter tilt your panels at your latitude plus 10 15. The summer optimum tilt angle on the other hand will be 34 15 19. Most solar arrays are installed at a tilt. It turns out that you can do better than this about 4 better.

Optimal electricity production occurs when solar panels face south at a tilt equal to 30. These angles will give you the best overall output over the course of the year if you re going for a fixed installation. It is simplest to mount your solar panels at a fixed tilt and just leave them there. For instance if your latitude is 34 the optimum tilt angle for your solar panels during winter will be 34 15 49.

For instance in the san francisco bay area the best solar panel tilt angle is between 22 23 degrees. Otherwise your best bet is to set it at an angle that is optimal for the most prevalent season. The optimal tilt for solar panels is perpendicular to the light source. However even if you lower the tilt of your roof all the way down to 5 production only decreases by about 10 percent.

To lean toward more production in the summer tilt your panels at your latitude minus 10 15.