The Solar Panel Angle

Solar panels should face directly into the sun to optimize their output.

The solar panel angle.

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. It turns out that you can do better than this about 4 better. To get the best out of your photovoltaic panels you need to angle them towards the sun. Azimuth angle is their horizontal facing in relation to the equator.

The tilt angle or elevation angle describes the vertical angle of your solar panels. Solar panel angle is another way of describing the vertical tilt of your pv system. As we ve mentioned there is no one best angle for all regions in the usa. Books and articles on solar energy often give the advice that the tilt should be equal to your latitude plus 15 degrees in winter or minus 15 degrees in summer.

If it s standing upright perpendicular to the ground it is at a 90 angle. Why does the angle of a solar panel matter. Ultimately what s the best angle for solar panels in the usa. There are two methods for calculating the tilt angle for solar panels.

The optimum tilt angle is calculated by adding 15 degrees to your latitude during winter and subtracting 15 degrees from your latitude during summer. However it s fair to say that the general overview range that s good enough in most places in the country is between 25 and 35 degrees. 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. Both of these angles require latitude degrees.

Similarly you can calculate the angle for winter by adding 15. The summer optimum tilt angle on the other hand will be 34 15 19. When a solar system is level with the ground it has no tilt. For instance if your latitude is 34 the optimum tilt angle for your solar panels during winter will be 34 15 49.

On the contrary in the countries of the southern hemisphere such as south africa and australia the best orientation is true north. Whatever your latitude is you can subtract 15 from it to calculate the angle for summer.