Solar Panel Efficiency Orientation

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.

Solar panel efficiency orientation.

Why orientation matters with rooftop solar. Solar panel tracking systems can improve a system s output by ensuring constant direct exposure to the sun both during the day and across seasons. For australia solar power yields are higher when panels face north in fact all southern hemisphere locations should ideally position panels in a northerly direction. In the spring summer and autumn the efficiency is lower 74 75 in spring autumn and 68 74 in summer because in these seasons the sun travels a larger area of the sky and a fixed panel can t.

Given the same amount of sunlight shining for the same duration of time on two solar panels with different efficiency ratings the more efficient panel will produce more electricity than the less efficient panel. For the best results solar panels should be oriented towards the south. This large jump in efficiency resulted in the power output of a standard size. Even with this decrease in performance solar panels will produce enough electricity to save you hundreds of dollars a year.

Efficiency of solar systems at different tilt angles and orientations for sydney. The direction solar panels should ideally face for optimum sun exposure varies depending on location. Solar panel efficiency is a measurement of a solar panel s ability to convert sunlight into usable electricity. In winter a panel fixed at the winter angle will be relatively efficient capturing 81 to 88 percent of the energy compared to optimum tracking.

A solar panel will harness the most power when the sun s rays hit its surface perpendicularly. Utilizing solar panel trackers to maximize your solar system s performance. Solar panel orientation and elevation. The image below shows.

Australia being in the southern hemisphere experiences a sun that is predominantly coming at us from the north. Axis trackers generate more electricity by using about the same amount of space as fixed systems. 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. Orientation of the panels.

So we ve established that there s a sweet spot for your solar panel orientation which is directly south and a sweet spot for elevation which is between 30º and 40º. In general solar panels that are oriented directly east or directly west will produce about 20 percent less electricity than if they were facing south. If even one panel is shaded it will reduce the output of all your panels unless you invest in micro inverters or other optimizing devices. This is because the sun is always in the southern half of the sky in the northern hemisphere.

The placement and orientation of solar panels is just as important as which type of solar panel is used in a given situation.