Do My Solar Panels Have To Face South
However solar panels can be orientated on any roof that faces south of either east or west.
Do my solar panels have to face south. On a flat roof if the orientation of the building is not strictly n s then you have the option of making panels face south. Your roof does not have to face exactly south true or not. Solar panels should face south for any home in america to obtain maximum power generation. Face panels south for non tou ratepayers.
West facing solar panels get less sun than those that face south but it s not as little as you may think. Therefore directions like southwest or southeast are fine. This is a good action if you have enough space on the rooftop. Since most sunlight comes from the south this will make your panels more productive.
However if the local power company charges higher prices in the afternoon your panels should face west to maximize the dollar savings. What you are doing is optimizing your energy production for maximum savings with your utility company. North now that s a problem. See image below for illustration.
Because if panels are not in the same direction as the orientation of the building then they will take up more space on the roof. Go west young one. Well when it comes to solar panels west is second best. Plenty of systems get installed on western systems and eastern and south eastern etc.
If you live in the usa or any other country in the northern hemisphere the best direction to face solar panels is south. Assuming you ve got good subsidies net metering and good sun it s still going to be very cost effective for you. But what if you don t have a suitable south facing roof.