How Steep A Roof Is Ideal For Solar Panels

The angle or pitch of your solar roof actually has less impact on solar panel performance than the direction it faces.

How steep a roof is ideal for solar panels. These angles will give you the best overall output over the course of the year if you re going for a fixed installation. If the roof is too steep such as over 40 degrees then energy production and solar harvest is less. For los angeles a solar panel tilt of 19 degrees works the best. It s only with very steep roofs say over 60 when the solar energy really drops off.

For instance in the san francisco bay area the best solar panel tilt angle is between 22 23 degrees. 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. Google did a study on the need to clean solar panels. The angle of your roof actually has less impact on solar panel performance than the direction your solar energy system faces.

Ultimately the decision boils down to a complex combination of factors all of which you ll want to take into consideration before finalizing. 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. However even if you lower the tilt of your roof all the way down to 5 production only decreases by about 10 percent. Tilt of roof the tilt of the roof will determine the effect of energy production by your solar panel system.

And other states with a hot climate it s not so cut and dried for the rest of the country. They found that tilted panels don t require cleaning as much as flat panels. At 20 15 away from the optimum angle the energy drops to 1 229kwh m2 day a reduction of 2 6. While the mystery of the best solar panel direction may seem clear for those who live in the western u s.

If the roof is flat you can install solar panels and just have to use brackets to angle the panels. This is also called a 9 pitch roof in the construction trade but i m going to talk in terms of angles or degrees however almost any angle can work even a flat roof. 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. 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.

Optimal electricity production occurs when solar panels face south at a tilt equal to 30. In summary here are the roof factors that affect your home solar panel performance.