Homeowners who are interested in lowering their energy costs and their impact on the environment frequently install solar panels. However, solar panels only work as well as their placement allows.

Here, we’ll walk you through the steps to choose the best spot for your solar panels.

Which Way Should Solar Panels Be Installed?

Where to Point Solar Panels

Panels can be oriented in any of the four cardinal directions—to the north, south, east, or west.

However, most installations of solar panels are oriented so that they face true north rather than the magnetic poles.

For instance, contrary to popular belief, true north points towards the Earth’s centre rather than the north pole.

Direct east or west exposure reduces energy production by about 20% for homes with solar panels. If you live above the equator, your solar panels should be oriented to face true south.

South of the equator, houses should be oriented so that the true north is visible. With this orientation, solar panels can soak up as much sunlight as possible and generate as much power as possible.

Solar Panel Angle

The degree to which your solar panels are slanted with respect to the horizontal. It can be difficult to understand the optimal tilt because it varies with latitude and season.

Panels need to have a steeper slope the further away from the equator you are.

Factors Affecting The Best Solar Panel Angle

Various elements guarantee that you have the best angle for your solar panels, which is the vertical tilt of your solar system. 

Roof Tilt

Solar panel installation requires careful consideration of your roof’s tilt because every roof is unique. 

Using a conventional racking system may not allow for an appropriate tilt when placing solar panels on a roof with a steep inclination.

Therefore, you should lay your panels flat against the roof, although this may not be possible depending on the pitch of your roof.

Low-slope roofs add another layer of complexity to solar panel installations because they may need specialised racking to be tilted at an efficient angle.

If solar panels are mounted flat on a roof with a shallow slope, they will generate less power and waste more energy than they generate. 

Latitude

Your solar panels should be oriented to get the possible sunshine at your home or business.

You can achieve this by angling your solar panels by your home’s latitude. Installing solar panels at an angle close to or equal to your latitude is optimal for most homeowners.

Usually, this slant is between 30 and 45 degrees. In this way, you may maximise your home’s solar power system’s average production throughout the year.

Season/Time of Year

The sun’s location throughout the year indicates how well your solar panels will function. In the northern hemisphere, for instance, the sun sinks lower on the horizon during winter.

As a result, your solar panels will have a harder time collecting sunlight and converting it into energy. 

The decline in output during winter can be mitigated by putting your panels at an angle steeper than your latitude (about 60 degrees). Your solar panels should also be angled so that snow may slide off.

Installation of Solar Panels and Roofs

Most rooftops can accommodate solar panel installations. But some roof types are superior for maximising sun exposure, and it turns out that having solar panels placed on them is easier and even cheaper. Setting up various types of roofing might be tricky. In this article, we’ll examine the following varieties of Australian roofs:

• Metal roofs
• Skillion roofs
• Tiled roofs
• Flat roofs
• Hip roofs

Could Solar Panels Be Installed On Any Roof?

Each roof type in Australia has benefits and drawbacks when mounting solar panels.

Installing a Flat Roof with Solar Panels

When used with tilt frames, a flat roof is perfect for solar panel installation because it allows panels to be positioned at the optimal angle for optimum sun exposure.

These frames have been slanted to allow the maximum amount of light in. However, solar panel efficiency decreases over time on a flat roof without tilt frames because of less sunlight and more dirt and debris.

Installing a Solar Panels and Tile Roof

In Australia, a large percentage of homes have roofs made of tiles.

Due to their strength, durability, and timeless appeal of their design, they are frequently selected.

However, solar panels do demand some effort when it comes to installation. Steel mounting brackets must be drilled into the rafters (the structural parts holding roofs) for maximum support.

Tiles may need to be removed, mountings bolted to the rafters, openings cut in tiles (if necessary), and then reapplied.

Installing Solar Panels and a Metal Roof

Solar panels can also be easily installed on metal roofs without drilling into the roof. This is because the frames of solar panels may be easily fastened to the roof’s seams.

Sealing is all that’s needed to prevent leaks. As a result, there may be fewer resources and person-hours needed for this installation.

Any other roof style necessitates drilling and additional planning, making the installation more time-consuming and costly. 

Installing Solar Panels and Hip Roofs

A hip roof is characterised by a peak in the centre, and sides slope gently down to the walls. There are two possible orientations for solar panels, or you can have them installed on both sides to maximise sunlight exposure.

Please note that one side will be in the shade, and the other will be in the sun at different times of the day.

It’s all dependent on where the sun is at the time.

Installation of Solar Panels with a Skillion Roof

One way to think of a skillion roof is as a flat roof that has been slanted to one side; solar panels, often mounted at an angle, work perfectly.

In addition, if your roof is oriented in a particular way and the sun is in a certain region of the sky at a given the time of day, your solar panels will get the maximum amount of sunlight possible.

Different Solar System Mounts

Large business buildings and distribution hubs typically have vast amounts of rooftop space that might be used to install solar panels.

Consider the roof’s age, latitude, weather, roof slope, and the possibility of shade from nearby structures or vegetation when installing solar panels. 

For commercial solar PV installations, there are typically three different roof mounting options to choose from. Age, structure integrity, equipment accessibility, and required fire and life safety setbacks must always be considered.  

Flat Roof

Ballasted racking systems are usually used on flat roofs with fewer than 7 degrees of slope.

This ballasted roof mount method will add about 3-7 PSF in weight to the roof and often does not require roof penetrations.

Mechanical attachments can be utilised in places where the roof’s structure wouldn’t allow for the extra weight. The normal installation angles for the solar panels in this system are 5, 10, and 15 degrees.

Standing Seam

Standing seam roofs often have the cheapest installation cost per watt for solar power due to the very simple racking system required.

Racking solutions for standing seam roofs often employ a specialised clamp that fastens the solar array to the roof seam rather than penetrating it.

As a result, solar panels can be flat against the roof or at a steeper angle.

Although the higher pitch enhances output, it may also raise costs and necessitates more room between rows.

Roofing Shingles

Flashing attachments are typically used to mechanically fasten the solar array to the roof structure under the tiles during solar installation on a pitched shingle roof. Most solar panels are installed so that they are level with the roof’s pitch.

How Effective Are Solar Power Systems?

The amount of sunlight reflected by solar panels and converted into either electrical or thermal energy is directly proportional to the panels’ efficiency.

Thanks to developments in photovoltaic technology, solar panel efficiency has increased from roughly 15% to between 15% and 22%.

As a result, the efficiency of today’s solar panels has risen to around 23%. The result is a rise from 250W to 370W in the average panel’s power rating.

The efficiency of solar panels is based on two metrics: the efficiency of the individual photovoltaic (PV) cells and the efficiency of the entire panel.

Panel Efficiency

PV cell efficiency is determined by cell design and silicon type, whereas overall panel efficiency is based on cell arrangement, configuration, and solar panel size.

Efficacy of Cells

The overall efficiency of a set of solar panels is calculated by dividing their maximum power output under standard test conditions by their total area (in square metres).

Factors Affecting Solar Efficiency

Variables like solar panel type, inverter efficiency, temperature cycling, and other environmental factors can all impact the efficiency of solar energy systems.

Therefore, before investing in a solar panel system, it’s important to think about the following:

Types of Solar Panels

Learning about the different types of solar panels, their construction, and their performance is the first step in deciding which is best for your home.

• Most homes and businesses nowadays use monocrystalline solar panels because they are the most common and efficient type of solar panel. These pure silicon crystals may produce 300–400 (and even more) watts of power.
• Polycrystalline solar panels have many bits of silicon melted together after being cut into smaller pieces. Compared to monocrystalline solar panels, they are slightly more affordable but produce less power.
• Panels consisting of amorphous silicon (a-Si), cadmium telluride (CdTe), or copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) are all examples of thin-film solar panels. While thin-film solar panels are more cost-effective, they are less efficient than their crystalline counterparts. 

Effectiveness of Inverters

The inverter is responsible for changing the DC power from your generator into the AC power your house requires. The conversion efficiency of most inverters is between 97% and 99%. Therefore the energy loss is negligible.

Thermal Cycling

Your solar panel’s resilience to various temperatures can be evaluated via thermal cycling. Unfortunately, thermal Cycling can cause the components of solar panels to expand and contract, potentially reducing their efficiency.

Position of Solar Panels

Solar panels work best on south-facing roofs to produce electricity. Roofs that face east or south are less desirable than those that face west. It’s not a good idea if your roof faces north.

Conclusion

Even though solar panels can be installed towards any of the cardinal directions, true north is where the vast majority of installations place their panels.

The best solar panel angle is based on the vertical tilt of the solar system, which changes with latitude and time of year. Low-slope roofs may require specialised racking to be tilted at an efficient angle, so this is something to think about.

Solar panels should be positioned according to a home’s latitude in order to maximise exposure to sunlight. Panels should be tilted at a degree or two greater than the latitude of the house.

The solar panels’ efficiency depends on the sun’s yearly position. Solar panel installation has pros and cons depending on the sort of roof you have in Australia.

The tilt frames on flat roofs are perfect for mounting solar panels, while the strength, durability, and classic good looks of tiles make them the best material for mounting solar panels.

As an added bonus, metal roofs can be put on metal roofs with no drilling required. Roofs with hips, skillion, flat, or standing seams can all have solar panels installed.

The roof of a hip roof has a central peak and two sloping sides that meet at the walls, while the roof of a skillion roof is flat but sloped to one side.

When setting up solar panels, it’s important to think about factors including age, structural stability, equipment accessibility, and necessary fire and life safety setbacks for various solar system mounts.

Standing seam roofs provide the lowest installation cost per watt, while ballasted racking systems are employed on flat roofs with a slope of less than 7 degrees.

Mounting solar panels at a greater angle can increase costs and increase the distance needed between rows. Thanks to advancements in photovoltaic technology, the efficiency of solar panels has improved from 15% to 22.

Overall panel efficiency is based on cell arrangement, configuration, and solar panel size, whereas cell design and silicon type impact individual cell efficiency.

Influencing Factors for Solar Efficiency Variables like as solar panel type, inverter efficiency, temperature cycling, and other environmental conditions can all affect the effectiveness of solar energy systems. 

It’s crucial to think about the various solar panel options, their build quality, and their expected output before committing to a solar energy system.

The most popular and effective solar panels are monocrystalline panels, while polycrystalline panels are cheaper but less efficient. 

The efficiency of thin-film solar panels is lower than that of their crystalline counterparts, but they are cheaper.

While 97%–99% efficiency is typical for inverters, thermal cycling, which causes components to swell and shrink, can degrade performance.

Content Summary

• Most installations of solar panels are oriented so that they face true north rather than the magnetic poles.
• If you live above the equator, your solar panels should be oriented to face true south.
• South of the equator, houses should be oriented so that the true north is visible.
• The degree to which your solar panels are slanted with respect to the horizontal.
• Various elements guarantee that you have the best angle for your solar panels, which is the vertical tilt of your solar system.
• Solar panel installation requires careful consideration of your roof’s tilt because every roof is unique.
• If solar panels are mounted flat on a roof with a shallow slope, they will generate less power and waste more energy than they generate.
• Installing solar panels at an angle close to or equal to your latitude is optimal for most homeowners.
• In this way, you may maximise your home’s solar power system’s average production throughout the year.
• The sun’s location throughout the year indicates how well your solar panels will function.
• The decline in output during winter can be mitigated by putting your panels at an angle steeper than your latitude (about 60 degrees).
• But some roof types are superior for maximising sun exposure, and it turns out that having solar panels placed on them is easier and even cheaper.
• Setting up various types of roofing might be tricky.
• Each roof type in Australia has benefits and drawbacks when mounting solar panels.
• When used with tilt frames, a flat roof is perfect for solar panel installation because it allows panels to be positioned at the optimal angle for optimum sun exposure.
• However, solar panels do demand some effort when it comes to installation.
• Any other roof style necessitates drilling and additional planning, making the installation more time-consuming and costly.
• There are two possible orientations for solar panels, or you can have them installed on both sides to maximise sunlight exposure.
• One way to think of a skillion roof is as a flat roof that has been slanted to one side; solar panels, often mounted at an angle, work perfectly.
• In addition, if your roof is oriented in a particular way and the sun is in a certain region of the sky at a given the time of day, your solar panels will get the maximum amount of sunlight possible.
• Consider the roof’s age, latitude, weather, roof slope, and the possibility of shade from nearby structures or vegetation when installing solar panels.
• For commercial solar PV installations, there are typically three different roof mounting options to choose from.
• The normal installation angles for the solar panels in this system are 5, 10, and 15 degrees.
• Flashing attachments are typically used to mechanically fasten the solar array to the roof structure under the tiles during solar installation on a pitched shingle roof.
• Most solar panels are installed so that they are level with the roof’s pitch.
• The amount of sunlight reflected by solar panels and converted into either electrical or thermal energy is directly proportional to the panels’ efficiency.
• Thanks to developments in photovoltaic technology, solar panel efficiency has increased from roughly 15% to between 15% and 22%.
• As a result, the efficiency of today’s solar panels has risen to around 23%.
• The result is a rise from 250W to 370W in the average panel’s power rating.
• The efficiency of solar panels is based on two metrics: the efficiency of the individual photovoltaic (PV) cells and the efficiency of the entire panel.
• Variables like solar panel type, inverter efficiency, temperature cycling, and other environmental factors can all impact the efficiency of solar energy systems.
• Most homes and businesses nowadays use monocrystalline solar panels because they are the most common and efficient type of solar panel.
• Compared to monocrystalline solar panels, they are slightly more affordable but produce less power.
• While thin-film solar panels are more cost-effective, they are less efficient than their crystalline counterparts.

FAQs About Solar Panels

How Do I Find The Best Location For Solar Panels?

Since the sun is always in the southern half of the sky (in the northern hemisphere), solar panels that face south will receive the most direct sunlight and, therefore, is the best direction for solar panels.

Why Is It Important Where You Place A Solar Panel?

This means that the sun is above the equator, so your solar panels will be most effective if they are south facing. Panels facing south will face the sun all day long. This gives them the maximum possible time to collect sunlight and convert it into energy.

Does Location Affect Solar Panels?

The sun is constantly moving and shifting its position in the sky relative to the Earth; therefore, the location of a solar PV system can affect its solar performance and efficiency.

Is There A Limit To How Many Solar Panels You Can Have?

No, there is no limit to the number of solar panels you can have. However, there may be a limit on how much power your system can generate. Some utility companies limit how much electricity a grid-tied solar system can generate.

How Does Distance Affect Solar Panels?

The larger the distance between the light source and the solar cell, the less energy will be produced. Light spreads out as soon as it leaves the source, but the amount of light does not change.