Do Solar Panels Need To Face The Sun

Recently the new york times and popular science even purported that solar panels should face west rather than south to avoid unintended consequences.

Do solar panels need to face the sun.

Monocrystalline panels are better than polycrystalline but are more expensive. All solar panels will perform better in open south facing locations that get direct sunlight. In the uk south facing panels will generate more than other orientations. It is at this location that your panels will receive the maximum sunlight throughout the day.

Ensuring that solar panels face the correct direction and have an appropriate tilt will help ensure that they produce maximum energy as they are exposed to the highest intensity of sunlight for the greatest period of time. If your roof does not face the right direction then surface mounted panels or pole mounted panels may be your best bet. Face panels south for non tou ratepayers for those who are not part of a tou model with their utility company the direction that you want to face your solar panels is south. Amorphous panels will work best in shady or cloudy conditions but will not compete with monocrystalline or polycrystalline panels will when the sun comes out.

A solar panel will harness the most power when the sun s rays hit its surface perpendicularly. When the sun shines onto the surface at an angle the panel will still generate electricity but it will be less effective. However each of the above only considers. This is so that you can expose your solar panels to as much light as possible to optimize their energy production.

Calculating the ideal angle for your solar panels is not that difficult. It just depends on where you live. As a general rule of thumb keep in mind that the panels need to be more vertical during winter to face the lower sun directly and more tilted towards the ground during summer to face the higher sun. The most optimum direction to face your solar panels is somewhere between south and west.

Solar panels produce electricity from the photons present in natural daylight rather than from the sunlight itself so panels don t actually need to be installed in direct sunlight to work.