Solar Panels - Which Way should they Face ?
Case Study:
We fitted these 2 systems last year
read on to see which one works best and see the data for yourself.
4 Kw Facing South
2 Kw Facing West (4 Kw Split system) 2 Kw Facing East
The photo's above show 2 different 4kw solar pv systems, the top one has all 4kw facing South and the bottom shows a system which has 2kw facing East & 2kw facing West.
Both of the above systems have 16 x Eging 250 watt Polycrystalline panels connected to 16 x Enphase micro inverters. One house faces East/West and the other faces North/South both with
a very similar roof angle and both located in Mansfield Nottinghamshire within 3 miles of each other if that.
The Theory:
South Facing
This system will produce a larger amount of power through the middle of the day.
East / West Facing
This system will switch on earlier produce a lesser amount of energy but over a longer spread of time switching off later in the day than a South facing system.
So which one works the best ?
2014
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Total
4Kw South 103 156 325 366 416 440 549 418 2,773
4Kw Split 65 125 285 344 429 462 544 409 2,234
Conclusion
In this case the South facing system has outperformed the split system by 539 Units of electricity.
Upon close examination of the figures it can be noted that the split system has a very similar output and in May it even outperformed the South facing system by 13 Units.
Even if your home is not facing South you can still benefit from the installation of Solar Pv.
Give our office a call on 01623 332000
If the roof of your property is facing east/west then don’t worry it does not mean you cannot have solar panels. The system will still produce a good amount of electricity.
