Does It Matter Which Way You Orient Solar Panels

The difference between the red line and the blue line shows how facing a solar panel in a different direction shifts the time that it is producing solar power an east facing panel would shift.

Does it matter which way you orient solar panels.

The solar panel is a generator crafted with the habitat builder that converts light into energy it is the only power generator available by default and is best used on seabases close to the surface being relatively ineffective in deeper biomes. As you may have read elsewhere solar panels should face true south. It does so by spinning counterclockwise along its axes. This table shows you how much energy you can expect to get from almost any combination of solar panel direction and angle in the capital cities compared to the optimum orientation.

Most experts believe that the best way to orient garden rows in the northern hemisphere is north to south. For example in brisbane if your panels are facing west 270 and are angled 20 from horizontal you will get 89 of the energy compared to the optimum orentation of north and 30. For the southern hemisphere solar panels should face true north. It is constructed with the habitat builder and can be placed on any surface at any angle.

It can also be damaged and destroyed by striking it with. One way to counteract winter production dips is to install your panels at a lower angle than your latitude. The other important factor is angle. A solar panel will harness the most power when the sun s rays hit its surface perpendicularly.

If ground or wall mounted panels don t work for you solar panels can also be mounted on a building near your house like your garage or a storage shed. Solar panels work well in the winter but you will typically see a dip in total energy production during particularly bad winters due to snow covering your panels and reducing their power output. Short growing plants such as lettuce radishes beets and onions will do best in the southernmost part of the garden. Ensuring that solar panels face the correct direction and have an appropriate tilt will help ensure that they produce maximum energy as they are exposed to the highest.

That is the rule of thumb for the northern hemisphere. Ground mounted solar panels can even be placed on trackers which adjust the position of the panels throughout the year in order to maximize the amount of sunlight reaching them.