Correct Solar Panel Orientation

To correct the compass reading your solar installer will calculate the magnetic declination of your site.

Correct solar panel orientation.

The direction solar panels should face is true south a k a. Solar panel orientation direction. Orientation of the panels. Fixed tilt solar.

This also helps if you re using a string inverter that connects all the panels together and send the power to a central unit. True south can also be calculated at noon when shadows from vertical objects run north south. The reason behind that is pretty simple. The sun moves throughout the day and its position angle also changes with the seasons.

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. On the contrary in the countries of the southern hemisphere such as south africa and australia the best orientation is true north. 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. The angle or tilt of a solar panel is also an important consideration.

In the northern hemisphere the general rule for solar panel placement is solar panels should face true. Regardless of the orientation experts note that it is more efficient to have a consecutive block of solar panels installed using the same orientation either vertical or horizontal. For the best results solar panels should be oriented towards the south. This is because the sun is always in the southern half of the sky in the northern hemisphere.

The angle that a solar panel should be set.