Solar Panels On East Facing Roof Uk

At lower pitches say 30 the east west facing panels perform slightly closer to south.

Solar panels on east facing roof uk.

In contrast a north southern hemisphere facing roof gets sunshine from dawn to dusk. Solar arrays that are situated east west can squeeze in more rows and panels and therefore a greater generation capacity than their south or north facing cousins. We assumed a 40 elevation for the roof. In winter when the sun is at an angle less than the pitch of the roof the panels will receive no sunlight.

However this doesn t mean that east or west facing roofs can t also be suitable for solar panels. That s much better than most people would guess and even an east west facing roof can generate around 80 of the maximum. If you look back to systems that were built a few years ago you would typically find them facing south says david wedepohl director of communications and markets at the german solar industry association bsw. An example of a south west facing roof.

That goes double if you get any fog or mist in the morning which will reduce the efficiency of the east facing panels. Put your panels on the west roof and take as much sun as you can in the evenings. Modern panels are able to perform better at less optimal angles and perform better in the type diffuse light we get in the uk. There is only about a 5 percent loss in power output of solar if the panel are facing south east or south west compared to facing directly south.

With east or west facing panels the sun will be behind the roof for half the day. East and west facing roofs are also suitable for solar panels and will still see a good deal of energy generation throughout the course of the day. Panels on a south facing roof even laid flat will almost invariably produce more electricity that east facing panels. You could install all your panels on the east roof and take as much sun as you can in the mornings.

For example an east facing roof will be exposed to sunlight in the morning whereas a west facing roof will take in more sunlight. At higher pitches the difference increases. Of course you cannot install east west facing solar panels on your roof if it does not already slant in those directions. They would all then be in the shade during the second half of the day.

A south south east or south west facing roof is ideal for homes in the uk. If your roof faces another direction as you can likely still see plenty of benefit from installing a solar array. Just make sure there s no obstructions that would cause shade on the panels and you re golden.