Best Direction For Solar Panels In Texas

Is it all about having your panels face north or are there other options for houses with east and west racing roofs.
Best direction for solar panels in texas. It is at this location that your panels will receive the maximum sunlight throughout the day. Solar panels should face south for any home in america to obtain maximum power generation. In texas the current structure of compensating for the energy produced by solar panels incentivizes south facing panels. According to the new york times south facing solar panels capture the most solar energy over the course of the day.
If the orientation is not optimal it does not matter whether you have the best angle for solar panels. In texas s ercot territory 84 percent of electricity in west facing systems was used in the home. If you are in the southern hemisphere then face them north. It seems that west facing solar panels would help you to do that to a much greater degree than generally recommend south facing solar panels.
However what utilities really want are west facing panels to hit peak. 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. A solar system that is installed on a south facing 20 degree pitch roof texas will generate 1 360kwh of peak dc direct current capacity per year per 1kw in the houston area. Depending on the location solar panels will generate different amounts of electricity.
How much electricity do solar panel systems generate in texas. The ideal direction that solar panels must face changes depending on whether you live in the northern hemisphere or the southern hemisphere. The consensus among most experts is that the best direction for solar panels is to face south. They cite a california study which showed that most devices do point south because doing so captures the most solar power over the course of the day.
If your roof does not face the right direction then surface mounted panels or pole mounted panels may be your best bet. But the same times article also makes the case for using solar panels that face west. In the northern hemisphere panels must face south and. For the best results solar panels should be oriented towards the south.
Generally speaking the panels should be facing towards the equator. However solar panels can be orientated on any roof that faces south of either east or west. The most optimum direction to face your solar panels is somewhere between south and west. Therefore directions like southwest or southeast are fine.
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. This is because the sun is always in the southern half of the sky in the northern hemisphere. Find out in this video.