Why South Facing Roof Get More Sun

This change in the sun s apparent angle between summer and winter is why that works.

Why south facing roof get more sun.

In general solar panels that are oriented directly east or directly west will produce about 20 percent less electricity than if they were facing south. Panels mounted on a standard pitch roof facing east or west will produce approximately 15 less output than panels mounted on a south facing roof of a standard pitch. Why orientation matters with rooftop solar. Because the sun rises in the east and sets in the west the side of the building that is utilized for solar gain needs to be facing the south to take maximum advantage of the sun s potential energy.

A north facing home gets sun at the back of the house and is typically darker and naturally cooler than a south facing one. Then use a flashlight to represent the sun and rotate the globe. At the poles north and south slopes tend to be either shrouded in darkness all winter long or bathed in sunlight all summer long with only slight variation between the slopes in spring and fall. Near the equator north and south facing slopes receive roughly the same amount of sunlight because the sun is almost directly overhead.

A good way to visualize this is to get a globe and tape a monopoly house or sugar cube to it to represent your house. However the economics of installing solar panels on a roof that does not face the south still usually stack up for the homeowner. If the building s axis is located on the east west direction with its longest dimension facing the south more of the building is situated to.