The conventional wisdom in the northern hemisphere is that the best direction to face solar panels is south since that is generally where they d receive the most sunlight.
Which direction to face solar panels.
By the same reasoning if the solar panel is located in the southern hemisphere the panel should instead face in the direction of true north.
The direction solar panels should face is true south a k a.
While the angle of your solar panels is important a more important factor in your energy production is going to be the direction your panels face.
However you would want to face your solar panels in the opposite direction of where your shadows face.
This is a simple tried and true way to.
You could even stick a stick in the ground and take note.
As you might have guessed the direction your panels face can be a major factor in how much energy your rooftop solar system produces.
For example in brisbane if your panels are facing west 270 and are angled 20 from horizontal you will get 89 of the energy compared to the optimum orentation of north and 30.
On the other hand west facing panels are more productive in the afternoon since the sun sets in that direction.
True south can also be calculated at noon when shadows from vertical objects run north south.
This table shows you how much energy you can expect to get from almost any combination of solar panel direction and angle in the capital cities compared to the optimum orientation.
Net energy metering and time of use.
For the best results solar panels should be oriented towards the south.
Another simple method is to look at your house on.
The direction that your solar panels face is ultimately dependent on whether or not your system is connected through net energy metering nem and under a time of use tou payment structure.
Since the majority of solar panel owners keep their system on the grid we can split this grouping into simply those who pay for energy based on a tou payment.
On the other hand if you live in the southern hemisphere you can use this same technique.
Since the sun rises in the east solar panels facing in that direction are more productive in the morning.
If your roof does not face the right direction then surface mounted panels or pole mounted panels may be your best bet.
To correct the compass reading your solar installer will calculate the magnetic declination of your site.
Installing panels that face north is not recommended since it results in the lowest electricity output.
However the electricity system is not as simple as it sometimes seems and the best direction to face solar panels may actually be west.
It is at this location that your panels will receive the maximum sunlight throughout the day.
This is because the sun is always in the southern half of the sky in the northern hemisphere.
Solar panels however need to face solar or geographic south which is the direction towards the south pole.
Solar south or geographic south.
