In the uk the optimum roof pitch for solar panels is 30 to 40 degrees.
Best angle for solar panels uk.
For the far south of england the optimal roof angle would be closer to 30 degrees.
To optimize overall production year round tilt your panels at your latitude.
Orientation of the 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.
At the winter solstice in december it reaches its lowest angle of 15 1 degrees.
To get the best out of your photovoltaic panels you need to angle them towards the sun.
These figures are only really suitable for the uk and then there is some variation across the country.
For the best results solar panels should be oriented towards the south.
Since solar panels are more productive when the sun s rays are perpendicular to their surfaces the certainly best orientation is the one directly true south azimuth angle 180.
Therefore in london which has a latitude of around 51 degrees solar panels should ideally be mounted at an angle of approximately 65 degrees.
To lean toward more production in the summer tilt your panels at your latitude minus 10 15.
The summer optimum tilt angle on the other hand will be 34 15 19.
This is because the sun is always in the southern half of the sky in the northern hemisphere.
In the northern hemisphere solar panels should face to the south where the sun is found at midday.
This is due to the fact that the angle of the sun is 50 to 60 degrees which when combined with a 30 to 40 degree roof pitch creates a 90 degree angle.
Shade will also affect your output regardless of the orientation or elevation.
In the far north of scotland your panels would perform better if your roof angle was 40 degrees.
Providing the highest level of solar radiation.
At the summer solstice in june the sun reaches an angle of 61 9 degrees at solar noon in london.
To lean toward more production in the winter tilt your panels at your latitude plus 10 15.
For instance if your latitude is 34 the optimum tilt angle for your solar panels during winter will be 34 15 49.
On the contrary in the countries of the southern hemisphere such as south africa and australia the best orientation is true north.
The optimum angle varies throughout the year depending on the seasons and your location and this calculator shows the difference in sun height on a month by month.
Pv panels output will drop off beyond these figures.
This solar angle calculator tells you the optimum angle to get the best out of your system.
The optimum tilt angle is calculated by adding 15 degrees to your latitude during winter and subtracting 15 degrees from your latitude during summer.
So let s just say that you really don t want your panels being shaded.
That s as high as it ever gets.
