Which Roof Azimuth Is Ideal For A Solar Installation

In general the more directly your rooftop faces south the higher annual energy production you can expect from your diy solar power system.

Which roof azimuth is ideal for a solar installation. Welcome to another entry in our ongoing solar 101 series. I n planning the design of a diy home solar project panel placement is particularly important knowing the direction your rooftop faces known as the roof s azimuth is key to determining the optimal tilt and orientation of your photovoltaic array. Presently the cost is still high to install a solar power generation system from present cost of power generation in china the cost of solar panel is about 40 50 in whole of solar system therefore in order to make the most of solar energy it is also an important that how to decide azimuth and tilt. Optimal electricity production occurs when solar panels face south at a tilt equal to 30.

The angle of your roof actually has less impact on solar panel performance than the direction your solar energy system faces. As solar power is a cleaning energy its application is fast increasing spread the world. One solution to overcome the azimuth angle effect would be to install a solar pv system on a single axis solar tracker. On the contrary in the countries of the southern hemisphere such as south africa and australia the best orientation is true north.

The array on the east roof would generate slightly more energy than the one on the west roof. 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. If the array is installed on the north facing roof the annual energy production would be reduced up to 35. Elevation angle and azimuth angle commonly shortened to angle and azimuth for brevity.

However even if you lower the tilt of your roof all the way down to 5 production only decreases by about 10 percent.