Equation of time in minutes of time.
Calculating angle of incidence solar panel.
Calculating the optimal solar panel angle as a rule of thumb solar panels should be more vertical during winter to gain most of the low winter sun and more tilted during summer to maximize the output.
Once the calculations are complete you may use your browser s print function to obtain a hardcopy of the results.
The calculation of the angle of incidence 0tilt on a tilted surface is more complicated.
If you cannot change the angle of your panel throughout the year angle your panel according to the time of year that you need to get the best performance out of your system.
The solar angle of incidence 0hor on a horizontal surface is a direct function of the sun height ys.
The vertical tilt of your panels.
Here two simple methods for calculating approximate solar panel angle according to your latitude.
α the altitude angle.
Azimuth in degrees clockwise from north.
Note that at solar noon the hour angle equals zero and since the hour angle changes at 15 per hour it is a simple matter to calculate the hour angle at any time of day.
Hit the calculate solar position button.
Welcome to another entry in our ongoing solar 101 series.
The array s tilt is the angle in degrees from horizontal.
The calculator shows the degrees from vertical.
For the best results solar panels should be oriented towards the south.
Let s start with two key terms.
Results are given in the following units.
While the angle of your solar panels is important a more important factor in your energy production is going to be the direction your panels face.
Orientation of the panels.
The violet line is the solar energy per day if the panel is fixed at the winter angle discussed below these figures are calculated for 40 latitude.
Today we re going to explain how to mount your solar panels to get the most energy from them.
φ observer s latitude.
Elevation angle and azimuth angle commonly shortened to angle and azimuth for brevity.
If your solar panels will have a fixed tilt angle and you want to get the most energy over the whole year then this section is for you.
A flat roof has a 0 degree tilt and a vertical wall mount has a 90 degree tilt angle.
δ the declination angle.
This is because the sun is always in the southern half of the sky in the northern hemisphere.
The calculator will then show the optimum angle for the solar panel.
The surface azimuth angle at describes the deviation from the south.
ω the hour angle.
Solar declination in degrees with positive to the north.
