September 27, 20223 yr Hi, I need to plan my solar panel layout on my garage (flat surface). The usable area is about 8m x 6m and I am looking to fit 12 x 545W panels (or 12 x 660W panels). These panels are 2261mm x 1134mm (or 2384mm x 1303mm). This means I can either fit the panels in a 6x2 config or 3x4 config. What is the optimal angle for the panels (in Pretoria)? I've read ~26 degrees. Is that correct? How do I determine how much space I need between the rows as to not cast any shadows on the panels? Any advice on how to best plan this would be appreciated.
September 27, 20223 yr Author 5 hours ago, mzezman said: @Speedstercan advise - he had similar challenges and constraints Thank you @mzezman. I was actually able to find a link @Speedster posted as a result of this: https://www.jinyi-solar.com/Solar_Basics/solar-collector-spacing-calculator.html If I am using the calculator correctly, I should be able to fit 2 rows of 6 panels. At 2384mm for the longest panel I am looking at (660W) it seems I need a distance of 1215mm between the panels at my location which I should be able to do with the 6m space that I have.
September 28, 20223 yr 14 hours ago, TheV said: Thank you @mzezman. I was actually able to find a link @Speedster posted as a result of this: https://www.jinyi-solar.com/Solar_Basics/solar-collector-spacing-calculator.html If I am using the calculator correctly, I should be able to fit 2 rows of 6 panels. At 2384mm for the longest panel I am looking at (660W) it seems I need a distance of 1215mm between the panels at my location which I should be able to do with the 6m space that I have. I ended up going with the Canadian Solar 595w panels due to their shorter form factor.
October 10, 20223 yr It's obviously better to put the panels on their side then if you can right? Will require less spacing?
October 11, 20223 yr Author 16 hours ago, Chris_S said: It's obviously better to put the panels on their side then if you can right? Will require less spacing? Doing that requires more rows and leaves less space between the panels. I have a couple of installers coming to do more site visits this week. I'm yet to get a definitive answer here. I think my safest bet is just to build a frame that has no spacing and have the panels stacked on top of each other. That way self-shading is a non-issue.
October 11, 20223 yr 3 minutes ago, TheV said: Doing that requires more rows and leaves less space between the panels. I have a couple of installers coming to do more site visits this week. I'm yet to get a definitive answer here. I think my safest bet is just to build a frame that has no spacing and have the panels stacked on top of each other. That way self-shading is a non-issue. I'm thinking of doing my own frame like this also. 6 panels on their side to minimise height and making the frame inclination adjustable between 30 and 50 degrees for summer and winter.
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