To get the best out of your photovoltaic panels you need to angle them towards the sun.
Best angle for solar panels in seattle.
Today we re going to explain how to mount your solar panels to get the most energy from them.
Welcome to another entry in our ongoing solar 101 series.
What s the best angle for solar panels.
Most solar arrays are installed at a tilt.
You can make the best of your investment if you know how to figure the correct angle for solar panels.
That s because you ll get way more sunlight hitting the roof thereby converting into way more energy.
Ideally you want your solar system to be on the area of your roof that faces south specifically southwest.
This solar angle calculator tells you the optimum angle to get the best out of your system.
Latitude x 0 9 23 5 degrees.
Portland is next with 222 days of heavy clouds it rarely gets real hot in western washington most houses don t have or need air conditioners and only one of my neighbors has one.
The vertical tilt of your panels.
There are several factors at play for the optimization of solar panels but none is more important than the tilt angle.
On the contrary in the countries of the southern hemisphere such as south africa and australia the best orientation is true north.
This page doesn t discuss tracking panels solar panels should always face true south if you are in the northern hemisphere or true north if you are in the southern hemisphere.
Latitude 2 5 degrees.
If you have a summer vacation house for example that u use only during the summer months of the year you would benefit from angling the solar panels in a way that is optimal for exactly the.
Panels that track the movement of the sun throughout the day can receive 10 in winter to 40 in summer more energy than fixed panels.
Elevation angle and azimuth angle commonly shortened to angle and azimuth for brevity.
The best solar panel angle for you depends on where you live but it also is a matter on what time of year you will be using your solar panels the most.
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.
Depending on where you live the best angle at which you should install solar panels will change.
True south or the geographic south will yield the best results overall.
The optimum angle varies throughout the year depending on the seasons and your location and this calculator shows the difference in sun.
Seattle tops the list with 226 days of heavy clouds each year or about 62.
But that reduces the rationale for solar panels further.
However by installing solar panels you are also helping protect the environment.
The answers you end up with are the best angles for each particular season.
This is because it s based on the average position of the sun over your property.
Let s start with two key terms.
The angle of your solar array is an important factor in maximizing your energy production.
