Best Roof Pitch For Solar Panels

Solar contractors recommend using the latitude of your home s location as the degree of tilt.

Best roof pitch for solar panels.

At this level the solar panel can lie flat on the roof and get enough sunlight to produce enough electricity. 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. There are several factors in your control when it comes to finding the ideal pitch for your solar panels. For example in melbourne most houses have a roof pitch of 23 or 28 depending on the style of architecture.

In most places the ideal power generation angle is 30 40 degrees. This particular angle generated the most energy from the test solar panels on a year round basis both with and without snow clearing. The average us home solar system size is 5 kilowatts or 20 250 watt panels. Overall the angle of your rooftop has less impact on solar panel performance than the direction your roof faces.

Pitch the slope of your roof isn t as important as the orientation but it can affect your solar energy output. Pitch perfect through a number of tests conducted by the solar energy society of alberta it was established that the ideal pitch to install solar panels was at latitude so 51 for calgary and 53 for edmonton. Solar output losses when the panel angle is not ideal. But what is the best roof pitch for solar panels.

Metal standing seam metal roofing with standing seams is the best roof type for the installation of solar panels. Ideally solar panels would be positioned at an angle of 38 in melbourne equal to the latitude angle of the city 37 81. Ideally a fixed roof mounted solar energy system should be at an angle that is equal to the latitude of the location where it is installed. With solar panels requiring about 15 square feet each you need about 300 square feet of south or west facing roof space to fit 20 panels on your roof.

Ideally you want your solar system to be on the area of your roof that faces south specifically southwest. If your roof is too steep it makes installation difficult and limits the ability of your panels to perform to their highest potential. True south or the geographic south will yield the best results overall. Most roofs have an inclination of 30 to 40 degrees.

However pitch angles between 30 and 45 degrees will work well in most situations. 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. The standing seams on these roofs make the attachment of the panel array incredibly easy and with easier installation comes a cheaper cost.