Ideal Roof Angle For Solar In Washington State

The angle is calculated based on your latitude.

Ideal roof angle for solar in washington state.

Ideally you want your solar system to be on the area of your roof that faces south specifically southwest. Overall the angle of your rooftop has less impact on solar panel performance than the direction your roof faces. A simple rule to follow in the united states is to multiply your latitude by 0 76 then add 3 1 degrees. However pitch angles between 30 and 45 degrees will work well in most situations.

The energy reduces as we move away from this optimum angle. 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. That s because you ll get way more sunlight hitting the roof thereby converting into way more energy. 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.

Most roofs have an inclination of 30 to 40 degrees. 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. 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. This thread is archived.

At this level the solar panel can lie flat on the roof and get enough sunlight to produce enough electricity. 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. In summary here are the roof factors that affect your home solar panel performance. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast.

After finding the best place to install your solar panels your installer will select the ideal tilt. At 30 the energy drops to 1 260kwh m2 year a reduction of just 0 4. 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. On the contrary in the countries of the southern hemisphere such as south africa and australia the best orientation is true north.

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. Find the best angle for optimizing solar collection during winter when solar energy is most scarce by multiplying your latitude by 0 89 and then adding 24 degrees.