Do Solar Panels Need To Face The Sun

When the sun shines onto the surface at an angle the panel will still generate electricity but it will be less effective.

Do solar panels need to face the sun. Solar panels produce electricity from the photons present in natural daylight rather than from the sunlight itself so panels don t actually need to be installed in direct sunlight to work. Calculating the ideal angle for your solar panels is not that difficult. A solar panel will harness the most power when the sun s rays hit its surface perpendicularly. Monocrystalline panels are better than polycrystalline but are more expensive.

Face panels south for non tou ratepayers for those who are not part of a tou model with their utility company the direction that you want to face your solar panels is south. If your roof does not face the right direction then surface mounted panels or pole mounted panels may be your best bet. This is so that you can expose your solar panels to as much light as possible to optimize their energy production. Recently the new york times and popular science even purported that solar panels should face west rather than south to avoid unintended consequences.

Amorphous panels will work best in shady or cloudy conditions but will not compete with monocrystalline or polycrystalline panels will when the sun comes out. However each of the above only considers. It is at this location that your panels will receive the maximum sunlight throughout the day. Solar panels perform at their best when the sun is shining straight on to the panels.

The most optimum direction to face your solar panels is somewhere between south and west. All solar panels will perform better in open south facing locations that get direct sunlight. Ensuring that solar panels face the correct direction and have an appropriate tilt will help ensure that they produce maximum energy as they are exposed to the highest intensity of sunlight for the greatest period of time. It just depends on where you live.

In the uk south facing panels will generate more than other orientations.