How to Decide the Best Place on Your Home to Install Solar Panels?

When it comes to installing solar panels location is extremely an important consideration.

For a solar panel to function well it must receive enough direct sunlight to generate electricity. Solar panels should be installed on a south, east, or west facing roof. There’s no sense in placing your solar panel upside down on your driveway!

Solar panels are installed flush to your roof so the angle will affect solar production. Depending on your location the steeper or shallower your roof is will either increase or decrease your production. Placing the solar panel in the ideal conditions can maximize your system’s potential. This means you will increase your production and ultimately your savings. SunPower® X-Series high efficiency solar panels will allow you flexibility in your system design.

Placement of the Solar Array

Solar panels are mounted on rooftops for residential applications, however they can be placed on the ground, exterior corridors, or over parking lots for commercial applications. Your solar installer will help you determine the ideal location for panels to be installed.

Factors determining the positioning and orientation of the solar panel include the direction towards which your house is facing, the angle of the roof, and any obstructions that may cause shading.

Depending on your energy usage it may still make financial sense to use a roof that is not perfect for solar. As long as the roof gets direct sunlight it can be a potential candidate for solar installation. It is also sometimes possible that you’re receiving plenty of sunlight, but unexpected shading throughout the day can make a bigger impact on how much energy you’re actually producing. Although your property may not receive shading from trees it’s possible that a neighboring building or chimney can cause shading that will affect your system. A shading analysis with a Solmetric Suneye will give an accurate production analysis taking into account all of the conditions of your site.

Not all solar is the same and it is important you evaluate your choices for equipment to make the most of your site. High efficiency SunPower® solar panels give you the flexibility for complex system design on roofs with multiple obstructions or the room for system expansion in the future.