Solar energy has emerged as a sustainable and efficient source of power, offering a clean alternative to traditional energy sources. If you want to harness solar energy through solar panels, one critical factor to consider is the direction in which your solar panels will face. Why does this matter? The orientation of your solar panels greatly impacts their power output.
For this reason, knowing the optimal direction that your solar panels should face will set you up for success. With that in mind, what is the best direction for solar panels to face to maximize power output?
The best direction for solar panels to face
The best direction for solar panels to face varies depending on the location. This is because the sun follows a different path across the sky depending on the side a location is from the equator. For areas North of the equator (Northern Hemisphere) like the UK and other parts of Europe, the sun appears to move across the southern part of the sky. The reverse is true for locations in the Southern Hemisphere.
Because of this, as a general rule of thumb, if you’re located North of the equator, your solar panels should face the South. This allows them to get the most exposure time to direct sunlight throughout the day, especially during peak solar hours when the sun is at its highest point in the sky.
By capturing the sun’s energy when it is most abundant, South-facing solar panels generate more electricity over the course of the day. This maximizes the overall efficiency of your solar power system. In addition, when your solar panels face the South, they produce energy more consistently throughout the year. This will make your solar panels ideal for residential and commercial use cases.
NOTE: Here, we are talking about True South. This refers to the geographic South in the direction of the South Pole, not the Magnetic South resulting from the Earth’s magnetic field.
What is the best direction to face at different times of the day?
You can also choose to have your solar panels face the South but rotate them slightly away from the South to match your peak energy usage hours. Let’s say everyone in your household is away from the house during the morning hours and noon. You will want to rotate your solar panels slightly to face the southwest to get more energy in the late afternoon when the sun is setting.
Do Solar Panels need to face the South?
Although it is optimal for solar panels in the Northern Hemisphere to face the South, it is not an absolute requirement. There are cases when an installation facing South might not be favorable, for instance, when:
- The roof is facing the East-West direction rather than North-South
- There’s too much shading in the North-South direction.
Suppose a South-facing installation is not feasible, an East-West installation can still work for you. Fortunately, East or West-facing solar panels suit certain energy consumption patterns, such as higher electricity demand in the morning or evening hours.
Having some panels face the East and others facing the West will ensure that you have sufficient energy during these peak consumption hours. The East-facing panels will serve you in the morning and the West-facing panels will do the same late in the afternoon and evening.
Even though East/West-facing solar panels are suitable for specific energy consumption patterns, South-facing panels are still unquestionably preferable for homeowners located North of the equator. This stems from the fact that East/West-facing solar panels produce about 15 – 20% less energy overall than their South-facing counterparts throughout the year.
In any case, the most unfavorable setup would be North-facing solar panels in the Northern Hemisphere. These solar panels receive very little direct sunlight and have to rely on scattered or reflected sunlight which is not enough to produce sufficient energy.
The best angle for solar panels
Apart from orientation, the solar panel’s angle also plays a crucial role in maximizing its efficiency. There is almost a unanimous view regarding the direction in which solar panels should face. However, the best angle for solar panels is not as set in stone because the sun’s angle not only varies with location but also the time of the year.
Considering the geographic location alone, the angle will increase the further away you move from the equator. For instance, homeowners in Iceland (64° N) will need to tilt their solar panels more than those in England (52° N) for a similar energy output.
To get the optimum angle, you can simply search online for your location’s latitude and tilt your solar panels at that angle. However, since the sun’s angle also varies with the time of the year, the tilt will have to be adjusted seasonally.
During the summer it should be minus 15° your latitude and for the winter the ideal solar panel angle will be 15° added to your latitude. This is because during the summer, the sun sits higher in the sky and it lowers during the winter. If you don’t want to go through the hassle of constantly tilting, you can place your solar panel within 30 – 45° of your latitude. This should allow you to experience adequate energy production throughout the year.
Direction vs Angle: Which one is more important?
A lot goes into determining the proper angle such that you might think that it is the most important factor to consider when installing solar panels. But this isn’t the case at all. When it comes to maximizing the efficiency of solar panels, the right direction is far more important than the angle.
Case in point, a wrong angle with a proper direction will produce more electricity than a right angle with the wrong direction. With the wrong direction, the solar panels will get a limited exposure time to direct sunlight resulting in a drastic reduction in energy output.
Key Takeaways
The direction solar panels face is the most important factor in maximizing their efficiency. It determines how long they are exposed to direct sunlight and hence how much energy they produce. Residents in the Northern Hemisphere, for instance, those in the UK and the rest of Europe, should install their solar panels facing the South Pole.
South-facing solar panels in this region will get the most exposure to direct sunlight since, from the Northern Hemisphere, the sun appears to be moving across the southern part of the sky. On the other hand, the right angle isn’t as straightforward as the right direction. It varies with the distance from the Equator and the time of the year.
Your solar company will probably already have this information, but having some foundation on proper solar panel orientation is a great place to start. You can use the information provided in this post to work out the proper orientation and angle for your solar panels. Then compare this with your current installation to ensure that your solar panels have been installed to maximize efficiency.