Know Which Direction is Best for Your Solar Panels to Face

If you’re searching for a quick response, most houses will benefit from south-facing solar panels.

However, if you want to learn more about solar panels’ orientation (direction), keep reading.

Best solar panel direction

Overall, facing solar panels south is the best option. In almost all circumstances, placing your solar panels south over any other direction will result in the most significant power bill savings and the shortest payback period.

The economics of solar are improved by facing your panels south in three ways:

It optimizes solar production.
It enhances your ability to use net metering.
It maximizes your ability to use battery storage.

Below, we go through each of these factors in further depth.

South Direction

Solar panels facing south in the Northern Hemisphere, where the United States is located, will produce the most amount of power conceivable.

This is because the Sun shines straight over the Equator on average throughout the year. If you’re north of the Equator, gazing south will optimize your sunshine exposure. In reality, the Sun passes across the southern half of the sky all year in all places north of the Tropic of Cancer (23.4°N Latitude), covering the whole continental United States.

In other words, solar panels facing south in the United States will be exposed to the Sun throughout the year.

Net Metering

If you live in an area where full retail (1:1) net metering is available, facing your solar panels south is the best option.

If 1:1 net metering is available, your first objective should be to obtain your target level of solar output as efficiently as possible, regardless of when that electricity is generated.

Allow me to explain. Solar panels facing south generate the most significant power overall, but they also create most of it during the noon hours. Because your usage is typically lowest during midday, you will generate much excess electricity. With net metering, surplus power is a positive thing since you may export it to the grid in exchange for bill credits equivalent to the total retail value.

In other words, if you live in an area where net metering is 1:1, it won’t matter if you produce solar electricity. Instead, you’ll want a solar power system that generates 100% of your electricity at the lowest possible cost; you may accomplish this by facing your solar panels south.