Ideal Roof Angle For Solar In Washington State

A simple rule to follow in the united states is to multiply your latitude by 0 76 then add 3 1 degrees.

Ideal roof angle for solar in washington state. True south or the geographic south will yield the best results overall. The energy reduces as we move away from this optimum angle. Ideally you want your solar system to be on the area of your roof that faces south specifically southwest. So for this roof the optimum angle is 35 a bit over an 8 12 roof slope and at this angle the roof generates 1 265kwh m2 day.

The ideal roof angle for power generation is about 30 degrees but roofs that are too steep make installation difficult while flat roofs mean that you can set the panels at just the right angle but you ll be paying extra for the required racking. In case the roof is very steep you may not be able to get the most optimal tilt angle for the panel especially if it is lower than the angle of the roof. However pitch angles between 30 and 45 degrees will work well in most situations. Many roofs are going to have slopes between 30 and 40 degrees which means that solar panels can lie flush against the roof and produce enough electricity for attractive returns.

Overall the angle of your rooftop has less impact on solar panel performance than the direction your roof faces. After finding the best place to install your solar panels your installer will select the ideal tilt. Anyways i hope this was helpful for someone considering a tesla solar roof in washington state i haven t seen any other mention anywhere of tesla s solar program operating in wa so i thought i would share. In summary here are the roof factors that affect your home solar panel performance.

At this level the solar panel can lie flat on the roof and get enough sunlight to produce enough electricity. Ideally a fixed roof mounted solar energy system should be at an angle that is equal to the latitude of the location where it is installed. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. On the contrary in the countries of the southern hemisphere such as south africa and australia the best orientation is true north.

That s because you ll get way more sunlight hitting the roof thereby converting into way more energy. If you are trying to install solar panels on a steep roof it may not be possible to place panels at the optimal tilt with traditional racking systems. 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. For instance if your latitude.

This thread is archived. At 30 the energy drops to 1 260kwh m2 year a reduction of just 0 4.