LED Solar & Automation

Placement of Your Solar System
Orientation
Solar Panels work best oriented toward the south. When that’s not feasible because of the roof orientation or aesthetics, facing 45 degrees west or east of true south reduces energy output by less than 5%. Facing 90 degrees off of true south reduces annual energy output by only 10-20%.

Tilt
The optimal fixed tilt in the US is an angle a few degrees lower than the geographic latitue, but an exact tilt is not curcial. A 15 degree variation to suit a roof’s pitch makes almost no difference in power output.

Tracking Arrays
The output of a solar power system can be increased by having the system track the sun as the sun moves across the sky on a daily basis, and/or adjust the titl of panels to the seasonal solar path, instead of being fixed in one orientation.

Shade
Shading can have a very large effect on the output of a PV system. Depending on the type of system, shade on 25% of an array could result in a 50% or greater drop in output. It’s important to examine shading across the sun’s path – not only in a day but also over a year since the angle of the sun is lower in winter.