Best Angle For Solar Panels In Winter

Subtract 15 degrees from the latitude at your location during summer and add 15 degrees to your latitude during winter.

Best angle for solar panels in winter.

The result for chicago is 90 42 23 25. For a precise method use the second formula on this page to calculate tilt angle. I live in buffalo new york. The optimum tilt angle is calculated by adding 15 degrees to your latitude during winter and subtracting 15 degrees from your latitude during summer.

However installing panels at angles of around 15 degrees or less can backfire as snow won t easily fall off of your array. The same latitude of 35 would have a tilt angle of 59 6 for winter and 7 1 for summer. In this way at noon the panels will be perfectly perpendicular to the sun s rays. At some places as much as a vertical tilt of the panels is needed to get the maximum output during wintertime.

And yet i have a solar panel system that still provides some electricity in the dark winter months. Solar panel lifespan guide are solar trackers helpful. Some years it seems like winter lasts for nine months. So you would actually make an adjustment 11 to the west to find the ideal azimuth.

For instance if your latitude is 34 the optimum tilt angle for your solar panels during winter will be 34 15 49. By performing these adjustments you will face your panels directly at the equator maximizing their exposure to sunlight and by extension the amount of solar power you generate. During winter the sun is lower and to catch more of its light the best solar panel angle would be more tilted. The summer optimum tilt angle on the other hand will be 34 15 19.

This is about 10 more or less from the readings obtained using the first method. It snows a lot. To get maximum energy efficiency during the winter solstice the solar panels in chicago must face south and be tilted 65 90 25.