Does it matter what direction your solar panels face?

You have likely already noticed the switch, people are lessening their dependence on traditional power and connecting their homes to solar. The reasons vary, but it’s mostly a combination of cheaper install prices and generous credits offered by local power companies for excess power that is driving the demand.

At the moment only 4% of homes in the US use solar, but that number is expected to triple by 2030 to 13%. That’s not everyone, but that does represent a lot of homes and a massive change in the way people think about power.

In fact, you may be reading this blog right now because you are on the verge of joining the solar community. And then there’s the question, “

Tradition

The traditional wisdom is to place your panels facing South. If you live in the Northern Hemisphere placing your panels in this direction maximizes the sun, and has your panels working for the longest parts of the day.

So of course, southward facing panels is the most obvious choice when you’re thinking about placing panels on your home. An added benefit to southward-facing panels is credits offered by local power companies. The more power you produce, the more credits you get — there is a caveat on this, but more on that later.

Suffice it to say, southward panels are the most popular decision.

Other Factors

Surprisingly there is more to say than simply, “install the panels on the south-facing portion of your home.”

Two factors to take into consideration: the orientation of your home and other obstructions.

If your home is positioned in a way that prevents you from installing panels facing south, then you will not have south-facing panels — unless you and your contractor develop a creative solution. Or, if there is a building or large amounts of foliage covering your home, again, south-facing panels will not be a good option for you or your home — you simply miss the sun from the south.

A Lesson From California

But then there’s still another factor to take into consideration, peak energy times. In the earlier days of solar power — and still today really — the ability to receive credits from your local power company for the power you contributed was a big deal. Take all the sun in you can, power your home, then sell the excess to the power grid. That’s a good deal.

But, a problem occurred, the times a home-produced the most amount of power, the local power grid needed it least. And the times a home-produced the least amount of power (in the evening and at night), the grid demanded the most.

Prior to 2017, the reimbursement system created negative incentives, incentives for homeowners to do the wrong thing, per se. It encouraged them to produce all their extra power at the wrong time of day. That changed. Now in California, there are more credits offered for power created during the evening peak hours, and less in the off-hours.

With that adjustment in policy, an incentive was created to place panels in a westward direction (or perhaps southwest direction), missing the peak hours, but providing power when it’s most needed.

Final Thoughts

Regardless of the decision, you make it will be, as all things tend to be, a negotiation of tradeoffs. The process through the factors mentioned here, have a conversation with your solar installer, lean on the insight they may offer, and then make your decision.