Best Angle To Install Solar Panels

To get the best out of your photovoltaic panels you need to angle them towards the sun.

Best angle to install solar panels.

These angles will give you the best overall output over the course of the year if you re going for a fixed installation. Latitude 2 5 degrees. The optimum angle varies throughout the year depending on the seasons and your location and this calculator shows the difference in sun height on a month by month basis. The answers you end up with are the best angles for each particular season.

For los angeles a solar panel tilt of 19 degrees works the best. Overall the angle of your rooftop has less impact on solar panel performance than the direction your roof faces. Photovoltaics produce power when the angle at which the sun s rays hit the panel surface the angle of incidence is small or when light strikes the panel as close to perpendicular as possible. Once you have figured this out you can use one of the formulas below to calculate the best angle for your solar panels for each season.

At this level the solar panel can lie flat on the roof and get enough sunlight to produce enough electricity. Most roofs have an inclination of 30 to 40 degrees. However pitch angles between 30 and 45 degrees will work well in most situations. Latitude x 0 9 23 5 degrees.

Ideally a fixed roof mounted solar energy system should be at an angle that is equal to the latitude of the location where it is installed. During winter the sun is lower and to catch more of its light the best solar panel angle would be more tilted. Since solar panels are more productive when the sun s rays are perpendicular to their surfaces the certainly best orientation is the one directly true south azimuth angle 180. On the contrary in the countries of the southern hemisphere such as south africa and australia the best orientation is true north.

You will most likely be installing the solar panels on your roof which is why you have to take into account the roof pitch too. But to do this many factors come into play the best tilt angle for solar panels direction of the sun location of the panels climate latitude the season and more. In general a steeper slope is preferable during the summer as the sun will be higher in the sky. In order to collect energy more efficiently solar panels should be angled to face as close to the sun as possible.

For instance in the san francisco bay area the best solar panel tilt angle is between 22 23 degrees.