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    • How to determine the optimal Solar installing angle

    Registered Users, Users Awaiting Email Confirmation Posts: 1 ✭
    edited August 2024 in PV Installers Forum - NEC, Wiring, Installation #1
    What is the optimal angle for installing solar panels to maximize energy production in my region? is there any universal formula to get the maximum electricity and my fesco bill online
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    • Solar Expert Posts: 2,121 ✭✭✭✭✭
      #2
      True solar south, (in the northern hemisphere) and vertical angle set at your latitude.
      Look up th phone app called Solar Tilt. It's really cool and amazingly helpful.
      Solar Tilt - Apps on Google Play

      2.1 Kw Suntech 175 mono, Classic 200, Trace SW 4024 ( 15 years old  but brand new out of sealed factory box Jan. 2015), Bogart Tri-metric,  460 Ah. 24 volt LiFePo4 battery bank. Plenty of Baja Sea of Cortez sunshine.

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    • Solar Expert Posts: 269 ✭✭✭
      #3
      This is how I found true solar south.....
      1. Go to the NOAA site and find solar noon by time and date by using your latitude and longitude
      https://gml.noaa.gov/grad/solcalc/
      2.  Using a plum bob and a step ladder at exactly solar noon at the correct time and date find the shadow line created by the plum bob.
      3. Drive a stake or marker at the bottom and top of the shadow line at your construction site.
      4.  Walla.....true solar south.
      23.16kW Kyocera panels; 2 Fronius 7.5kW inverters; Nyle hot water; Steffes ETS; Great Lakes RO; Generac 10kW w/ATS, TED Pro System monitoring
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    • Solar Expert Posts: 2,121 ✭✭✭✭✭
      #4
      In my location true solar south is about 12 degrees off of magnetic south

      2.1 Kw Suntech 175 mono, Classic 200, Trace SW 4024 ( 15 years old  but brand new out of sealed factory box Jan. 2015), Bogart Tri-metric,  460 Ah. 24 volt LiFePo4 battery bank. Plenty of Baja Sea of Cortez sunshine.

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    • Registered Users Posts: 42 ✭✭
      #5
      This is what I use to set mine four times a year.

      https://www.solarpaneltilt.com/
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    • Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,681 admin
      #6
      It does also depend on other issues... If you have morning or evening shading, morning Marine layer, or afternoon thunderstorms, etc...

      In the end, it is probably "better" to spend for a 10-20% or larger array, than to worry too much about optimizing exact installation. For example, just changing to heavier AWG cable can change wiring losses from 3% (or greater) to 1% (typically the max $$$ cost effective copper cabling costs vs losses).

      Add that array will have losses to to aging, hot weather, dust on panels, any shading from trees or other shading sources--Just going with a larger array than you "need" is not a bad way to go.

      PVWatts has a lot of options regarding detailed solar harvesting:

      https://pvwatts.nrel.gov/pvwatts.php

      -Bill
      Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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    • Registered Users Posts: 20 ✭✭
      #7
      We just set ours to the optimum winter angle (60 degrees) and leave them there, we generate so much excess in the summer even at the winter angle that it's not worth the effort of adjusting our racking.  It's also steep enough that they shed snow fairly readily.
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    • Solar Expert Posts: 278 ✭✭✭✭
      #8
      I set my forward tilt to middle of winter and summer and put it on a single axis tracker using some website that tells the optimum angle for solar

      there are pictures of my homemade tracker on here somewhere
      https://forum.solar-electric.com/discussion/13744/solar-tracker-finished#

      the controller came from https://www.theanalogguy.com ....ST1-10a model, the ball screw actuator is from venture manufacturing....made in the US...I think it is an 18 or 21 inch extended and ha 2 limit switches ..1 is adjustable

      the pivot is a small trailer axle

      good luck
      12 panels 6 series 2 parallel, 1 XW60-150 CC, 16 trojan 6V batteries 8 series 2 parallel, 1 XW 6848 pro, 1 5500 watt champion inverter generator( I know...I need a 12Kw )
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