Fixed Solar Panel Tilt Angle

The best tilt angle for winter is the latitude times 0 875 plus 19 2 degrees.

Fixed solar panel tilt angle.

Both of these angles require latitude degrees. Solar panels with a fixed tilt angle. Calculating minimum sun height at noon. For fall or spring you can just subtract 2 5 from the latitude.

Similarly you can calculate the angle for winter by adding 15. To get the maximum energy efficiency during the summer solstice the solar panels in chicago must face south and be tilted 19 90 71. There are two methods for calculating the tilt angle for solar panels. On the picture below is a easy to understand map.

In this way at noon the panels will be perfectly perpendicular to the sun s rays. Solar panels should always face true south in the northern hemisphere north in the southern hemisphere tilted from the hoizontal at a degree equal to your latitude plus 15 degrees in winter or minus 15 degrees in summer. There s a simple rule of thumb for calculating the best tilt angle for fixed mount solar panels. Solar panels should face directly into the sun to optimize their output.

The tilt angle or elevation angle describes the vertical angle of your solar panels. Azimuth angle is their horizontal facing in relation to the equator. A solar panel tilt of 19 degrees will work best in los angeles. Whatever your latitude is you can subtract 15 from it to calculate the angle for summer.

Showing with clear colored lines what your best solar panel angle will be depending on where on earth you live. For panels that you will want to use all year and not have to touch once they are installed you will want to install at a solar panel angle optimized for just that. The angle is based on your latitude minus 15 degrees. This table gives some examples.

Subtract 15 degrees from the latitude at your location during summer and add 15 degrees to your latitude during winter. If your latitude is between 25 and 50 then the best tilt angle for summer is the latitude times 0 93 minus 21 degrees. An additional 3 5 though can be gained by evaluating this more carefully. In boston a solar array at 30 degrees south is still going to produce more electricity than tilted at 42 degrees and facing north.

If your latitude is outside this range see other situationsbelow.