Pool Solar On North Facing Roof

While it is technically possible to install solar panels on the north side of your roof they need to be mounted so that they oppose the roof s slant in order to generate electricity.

Pool solar on north facing roof.

Solar panels that face north west will produce around 5 less electricity overall than north facing panels. It s not a good idea to install your panels to face a suboptimal direction even if it means the best tilt possible. Not great to be sure but probably not as bad as you might expect. Their electricity production through the day will be between that of north and facing panels and that of west facing panels.

However the economics of installing solar panels on a roof that does not face the south still usually stack up for the homeowner. This means that they won t sit flush with your roof and will still produce relatively little electricity. Solar panels installed on a roof facing southwest or southeast will generally produce about 8 less power than the same panels in the same climate on a south facing roof. A west facing roof producing 50 more electricity during peak times can actually save you more money than a system of the same size facing south.

When you need it the most it won t work. The number one rule is to not design or install a solar pool heating system that faces in any portion of the 180 degree arc of the compass that faces north. If you can take advantage of tou billing and you have a suitable south or west facing roof you should investigate your solar potential and find a local solar installer near you. The tilt of the roof matters a great deal.

Installing solar panels in the shade of a tree or building will also not be functional. Pv thermal is the holy grail of all things solar energy because pv panels operate far hotter than they are supposed to. With a 2 12 pitched roof 9 5 tilt the south facing array will produce 1 361 kwh kwp. Its simply false that solar pool heating can be moved to a lesser solar space like the north facing roof to leave room for the new pv system.

A north facing array on that same building will produce 1 145 kwh kwp a difference of 16 compared to the south facing array.