Orientation of photovoltaic solar panels

To get the maximum performance from solar panels, a number of important factors must be taken into account, such as the orientation of the solar panels SOLAR, the type of roof where they are located, the available space, the quality of its components, the correct maintenance of the installation, etc. It will also be necessary to take into account our consumption habits, so that the installation fully adapts to them.

Of all the above factors, ensures the solar panels a good orientation and a correct angle of inclinationare the most important and the ones that will help a lot Let\’s optimize the use of sunny hours and therefore to obtain the maximum performance from our photovoltaic installation.

The best orientation for solar panels is south or what is known as the 180º azimuth angle. Azimuth is the angle used to determine the orientation of an object on the earth taking north as a reference.

Orientation of solar panels to the south lSolar radiation falls perpendicular to its surface. and the photovoltaic installation receives the highest possible solar radiation during the day, arriving maximum efficiency and performance. At the same time, it is essential to check that there are no shadows on these solar panels.

Solar panel orientation options

There are many houses where it may be impossible to orient the panels to the south. In this case you must look for the closest orientation so that the losses of the solar self-consumption system are minimal possible.

First of all, if our roof is not facing south, it must be consider other possible locations to make the photovoltaic installation, such as on the garage or on the land next to it place to livethus seeking south orientation for solar structures and thus making the most of solar energy.

But if the only alternative we have is to put the solar panels on the roof, and it is not facing south, there other options available for the photovoltaic installation to be efficient. Let\’s see different cases below:

  • If the orientation of the panels presents a deviation of up to 45º towards the south, they can be directed to the southeast or southwestshowing only some energy losses between 1% and 4%, almost imperceptible.
  • If the plates are straight east or westthe facility will feature a few energy losses of up to 20%. Despite the photovoltaic system will continue to be very profitable and will allow us to save on the electricity bill. The next most favorable orientation from the point of view of production, after the south orientation, is that orientation to the west as west-facing modules generate 55% of their potential at 17:00, and south-facing modules only 15%, a very interesting option for people who have a high level of electricity consumption during the afternoon.
  • If the orientation of our roof is northit should be analyzed in depth if it is worth installing solar panels from the photovoltaic installation It will hardly receive solar radiation. In this case, there would only be the possibility of placing support structures opposite the roof\’s inclination to solve the situation.

The effect of shadows on your performance

A photovoltaic installation can have a south orientation but at the same time they can appear in it shadows that make it difficult for its performances to be optimal. The existence of shadows on solar panels negatively influence the performance of the installation. For this reason, and as mentioned before, it is essential to pay maximum attention to the possible shadows that may be due to various elements that we had overlooked, such as trees, antennas, etc.

Let\’s see some below among the most significant negative effectson a photovoltaic installation, of the shadows:

1. When one or more cells of a solar panel are affected by a certain shadeinstead of producing energy, they will consume it, being able to reach it it overheats and deteriorates. This damage causes a loss of power in the entire installation, as the activity of each of the cells influences the rest.

2. And to the energy output of a solar panel decreases because of one or more shadows, a energetic inconsistency and therefore the system will present energy oscillations which may cause damage or destruction of the rest of the system elements.

3. Uneven output in a solar panel damages the components inside the photovoltaic module.

For all of the above, solar panels should be placed as far away from the shade as possible to avoid performance degradation. This is often difficult or impossible to avoid and this is why they have solar panels with by-pass diodes through which we will individually protect the modules from the damage they may suffer due to shadows partial. The cells of a solar panel act as a set in terms of energy production. If a cell is shaded, the diodes bypass the damaged cell and redirect the electrical current elsewhere, preventing it from being damaged. By-pass diodes are only activated if a cell cannot generate positive voltage due to shading.

That is why it is very important for a photovoltaic installation to have diodes, because if it did not have them, its energy production could drop between 40% and 100%.

It is also highly recommended install power optimizers in panels that might be affected by some shadows and that would affect global energy production.