With limited sunshine in the UK, it’s important to know the best position to place solar panels for optimum electricity generation to power your home, with both direction and angle to consider to get it right. This handy guide will explore the best set-ups and also alternatives for those who can’t find the perfect position.
Let the sunshine in
As you might expect, the best direction for solar panels to face is south, as it receives the most amount of sunlight in a day. Your solar panels need to be able to absorb as much light as they can during the day, but if south isn’t possible, west and east-facing panels can still work well. If your roof faces north and you have nowhere else to place solar panels, it won’t make sense financially to install a solar system, as it won’t generate enough electricity.
According to the Energy Saving Trust, ideally, a roof should face south and have a pitch angle of about 30 percent from horizontal. This will give the best energy efficiency, meaning your solar system will generate as much electricity as it can.
The angle at which your solar panels are placed does vary slightly depending on where you are in the country.
Seasonal variations
In the summer, when the sun is in a higher position in the sky, it is best to angle solar panels slightly flatter and, in an ideal world, your solar system would allow for this adjustment. However, as most households only have one roof on which to place their panels, this is not possible. There are many solar panel installers such as https://gsmlimited.com/services/solar-panels/ who can advise you on the best position for solar panels depending on the size and position of your roof.
Alternatives
If you only have a flat roof, you could consider solar panels which are ground-mounted, although these are more commonly used for commercial projects as they produce more power and require specialist planning permission. You can also place solar panels on a balcony, although these are never as effective as roof-mounted ones.