Solar Panel Efficiency Flat Vs Tilted

Skip to 12 15 to hear rex and patrick discuss the main solar solutions for different kinds of flat roofing.

Solar panel efficiency flat vs tilted. Installing your solar panels at the ideal tilt angle and orientation for your latitude ensures that your system generates as much electricity as possible for your location. For los angeles a solar panel tilt of 19 degrees works the best. The ideal orientation for a solar panel array is due north and the ideal tilt angle is the angle of your latitude e g. Optimal electricity production occurs when solar panels face south at a tilt equal to 30.

For instance in the san francisco bay area the best solar panel tilt angle is between 22 23 degrees. If your solar panels will have a fixed tilt angle and you want to get the most energy over the whole year then this section is for you. These angles will give you the best overall output over the course of the year if you re going for a fixed installation. A flat roof has a 0 degree tilt and a vertical wall mount has a 90 degree tilt angle.

Optimum angle differs during winter months. Solar panel installers are presented with a number of challenges when designing and installing flat roof solar panels. For example if you are seeking to maximise solar generation during winter months be it for an off grid system or higher energy consumption levels you would ideally want to angle your panels at a greater tilt for maximum exposure to the low winter sun. Because the steep angle of your roof might already be higher than the optimal angle for production the best you can do is lie your panels flat against the roof.

If you are trying to install solar panels on a steep roof it may not be possible to place panels at the optimal tilt with traditional racking systems. Solar panels on a flat roof. To tilt or not to tilt. However even if you lower the tilt of your roof all the way down to 5 production only decreases by about 10 percent.

The array s tilt is the angle in degrees from horizontal. The violet line is the solar energy per day if the panel is fixed at the winter angle discussed below these figures are calculated for 40 latitude. The angle of your roof actually has less impact on solar panel performance than the direction your solar energy system faces.