Adding modules on the north side of the roof will not add much bang for the customer s solar buck and would qualify as solar malpractice in my book.
Pv solar panels north facing roof.
Don t let them install solar panels on a north facing roof.
If you look back to systems that were built a few years ago you would typically find them facing south says david wedepohl director of communications and markets at the german solar industry association bsw.
Connect with a solar expert to see if you can take advantage of tou billing or whether you d be better off with panels on a south facing roof.
Even though it s true that north facing roofs aren t ideal for solar you still have options.
In the northern hemisphere the sun crosses the sky a little to the south which means putting solar panels on a south facing roof is the best way for homeowners to capture the most solar energy.
Darwin and far north queensland.
An ideal south facing roof here is pitched at 7 12 39ish degrees and the north side of that roof will produce less than half as much electricity.
Not discussed here is the case for going solar in the tropics e g.
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As an example a roof facing due south in brisbane will receive almost as much sunlight as a north facing roof in hobart.
Solar arrays that are situated east west can squeeze in more rows and panels and therefore a greater generation capacity than their south or north facing cousins.
Solar panels are most effective when installed on south facing roofs.
I would be grateful for any thoughts suggestions on the direction to face solar panels.
Cleve hill solar park.
But what if you don t have a suitable south facing roof.
The direction that your roof faces also referred to as the azimuth angle is the primary factor determining how much sunshine your solar panels will see over the course of the day.
Go west young one.
While you will have some challenges to work around there are several alternatives available that will let you go solar despite having a non optimal roof.
Well when it comes to solar panels west is second best.
Of course you cannot install east west facing solar panels on your roof if it does not already slant in those directions.
If you live in a tropical area your solar panels will be to the north or to the south of the sun depending on the season.
But in the far north the difference is not so great and in townsville south facing solar panels will only produce around 17 less electricity in total than north facing ones.