Best Direction For Solar Panels In Florida

It is best to face the panels south as the sun is always in the south within the northern hemisphere.

Best direction for solar panels in florida.

They all talk about how their solar panels are tilted to the south. The cost per watt of a solar pv system comes out to about 2 69 resulting in a price of approximately 0 12 per kwh for solar energy in florida. We call this the orientation of the solar panels. Now a compass tells you magnetic north and south but it does not show you true north and south.

Locating the best direction to point your solar panels can be accomplished very quickly. If the orientation is not optimal it does not matter whether you have the best angle for solar panels. 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. We have a fair number of seasonal residents in southwest florida who have solar electricity at their northern homes.

As of 2018 the current average price for a 5 kilowatt solar energy system in florida is 13 450 not including the 30 percent federal tax credit or any local incentives that are available. Generally speaking the panels should be facing towards the equator. If you are in the southern hemisphere then face them north. For the best results solar panels should be oriented towards the south.

Finding the best direction. The conventional wisdom in the northern hemisphere is that the best direction to face solar panels is south since that is generally where they d receive the most sunlight. You could use tools if you wanted to but you can just as quickly figure it out with none at all. Orientation is comprised of tilt angle from horizontal and azimuth degrees clockwise from true north.

Panels mounted on a standard pitch roof facing east or west will produce approximately 15 less output than panels mounted on a south facing roof of a standard pitch. This is so that you can expose your solar panels to as much light as possible to optimize their energy production. Therefore directions like southwest or southeast are fine. This is because the sun is always in the southern half of the sky in the northern hemisphere.

The rule is that if you live in the southern hemisphere you should point your panels true north and if you live in the northern hemisphere you should point them true south. However the electricity system is not as simple as it sometimes seems and the best direction to face solar panels may actually be west.