In the uk south facing panels will generate more than other orientations.
Solar panels south west facing roof.
For years homeowners who bought solar panels were advised to mount them on the roof facing south.
Generally any panels that aren t south facing should face west because the available sun at sunset is more valuable to the grid.
Recently however there has been much discussion and even incentives being offered for orienting pv systems west.
In sydney south facing solar panels will typically produce around 28 less energy than north facing panels and the steeper the roof the less electricity they will produce.
That captures the most solar energy over the course of the day which benefits the homeowner but.
In winter when the sun is at an angle less than the pitch of the roof the panels will receive no sunlight.
This is especially true if you partake in nv energy s time of use tou plan which charges much more for energy between 2 and 7 pm when the sun is in the western sky.
What if your roof faces straight west.
Even with this decrease in performance solar panels will produce enough electricity to save you hundreds of dollars a year.
If the panels face west instead they get more energy during the afternoon an evening.
How solar can help avoid peak demand.
And can the feed in tariff still pay enough to be worth it.
Solar panels work best when they re directly facing the sun and the sun sheds the most light during the middle of the day when it s to the north of australia.
The conventional wisdom says no solar should never be installed on a south facing roof.
Do you have to have a south facing roof to have solar panels.
The simple answer to these is yes but read on for the facts and figures.
When the sun shines onto the surface at an angle the.
With east or west facing panels the sun will be behind the roof for half the day.
Within the solar industry it s common knowledge that the optimal orientation of solar photovoltaic pv panels in the northern hemisphere is typically south to maximize electricity production over the life of the system.
Solar panels perform at their best when the sun is shining straight on to the panels.
But in the far north the difference is not so great and in townsville south facing solar panels will only produce around 17 less electricity in total than north facing ones.
In general solar panels that are oriented directly east or directly west will produce about 20 percent less electricity than if they were facing south.
Why orientation matters with rooftop solar.