Do Solar Panels Need To Face The Sun

Solar panels perform at their best when the sun is shining straight on to the panels.

Do solar panels need to face the sun.

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. 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. Monocrystalline panels are better than polycrystalline but are more expensive.

In order to collect energy more efficiently solar panels should be angled to face as close to the sun as possible. When the sun shines onto the surface at an angle the panel will still generate electricity but it will be less effective. It just depends on where you live. Recently the new york times and popular science even purported that solar panels should face west rather than south to avoid unintended consequences.

However each of the above only considers. 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. It is at this location that your panels will receive the maximum sunlight throughout the day. 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.

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. 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. If your roof does not face the right direction then surface mounted panels or pole mounted panels may be your best bet. Calculating the ideal angle for your solar panels is not that difficult.

The most optimum direction to face your solar panels is somewhere between south and west.