How Steep A Roof Is Ideal For Solar Panels

If the roof is flat you can install solar panels and just have to use brackets to angle the panels.

How steep a roof is ideal for solar panels.

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. They found that tilted panels don t require cleaning as much as flat panels. However even if you lower the tilt of your roof all the way down to 5 production only decreases by about 10 percent. While the mystery of the best solar panel direction may seem clear for those who live in the western u s.

For instance in the san francisco bay area the best solar panel tilt angle is between 22 23 degrees. If the roof is too steep such as over 40 degrees then energy production and solar harvest is less. Tilt of roof the tilt of the roof will determine the effect of energy production by your solar panel system. The angle or pitch of your solar roof actually has less impact on solar panel performance than the direction it faces.

For los angeles a solar panel tilt of 19 degrees works the best. At 20 15 away from the optimum angle the energy drops to 1 229kwh m2 day a reduction of 2 6. We ll get to the best way to clean your solar panels in a minute. And other states with a hot climate it s not so cut and dried for the rest of the country.

Ultimately the decision boils down to a complex combination of factors all of which you ll want to take into consideration before finalizing. 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. In summary here are the roof factors that affect your home solar panel performance. For a roof in the northeast because of the sun s position through the year the ideal angle for maximum electricity production on a s outh facing roof is 36 degrees.

But first let s look at when and why you might need to invest in solar panel cleaning equipment or hire a professional cleaning service. It s only with very steep roofs say over 60 when the solar energy really drops off. Optimal electricity production occurs when solar panels face south at a tilt equal to 30. The angle of your roof actually has less impact on solar panel performance than the direction your solar energy system faces.

Many roofs are going to have slopes between 30 and 40 degrees which means that solar panels can lie flush against the roof and produce enough electricity for attractive returns. Google did a study on the need to clean solar panels.