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Solar panel mounting angle

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can anyone advice on solar panel  angle , I have 12 panels to mount on a slight angle (almost flat )roof my location latitude 26 degrees , my house facing NW  please advice what angle should I put my solar panels at 

861F5D39-E45F-4D1D-BB40-7569591348C9.jpeg

I assume that is 26deg south, yes?   Will it be fixed or adjustable panels?  I'm definitely not an expert but I will try to use 26deg's or as close as possible.  If the roof pitch is 23deg and it will be fixed panels, I would have used that angle...  If the roof is fairly flat and you use the 26deg, be aware of windy conditions that the mountings are strong enough.

My set-up is adjustable with 3 positions, summer, autumn/spring and winter,  and location is 23deg south.  If they are installed on the north angle of the roof, the top sections of the panels has to be lifted to accommodate winter position and so the bottom for summer.  Autumn and spring will be like "flat" on the roof angle..   To over-come the issue of hinges on both sides, I installed them on the southern side of my roof.   ...and with the road on the northern side of my house - panels are not visible from the road.  They work just fine!  

My experience from a practical perspective, a few degrees out is not the end of the world.  (Just remember, the clever people will proof that there is a massive analysis behind it..)

Panels.jpg

Just another thing to put things in perspective....  We (especially DIY-ers like me) tend to start small when we move into the green world, and for that we want to get the maximum for what we put in, and with time we gradually extend our systems.... I've started like that and is still busy extending...   

Here's the thing for typical town households, we end up with a inverter (R10k-40k), sustainable battery pack of R20-R100k and panels of R18k..  Within 10years, you encounter more costs on the inverter and batteries - but not really on your panels...  You see, over time the panels are the small change in the total installation.  Therefore, instead of adjusting panels, just install 3 more and you never have to touch them again! (I'm considering installing 3 more panels, but at 45deg towards West, purely to get the afternoon sun, as late as possible. My neighbour build on his property, killing my late afternoon sun....)

12Panels will take you far (I also have 12), for me now is to catch the early morning and late afternoon suns - to have a long as possible solar day.

On 2020/05/30 at 10:05 AM, Van theplanman said:

Panels.jpg

Haha, what about esthetics, stormy weather and WAF???

On 2020/05/30 at 4:33 AM, Kiran said:

I have 12 panels to mount on a slight angle (almost flat )roof my location latitude 26 degrees

At that latitude I would leave them like that assuming it is lat S and roof NW.

On 2020/05/30 at 11:21 AM, Kiran said:

i would like to make it adjustable , 

Ofcourse you need to decide on the number of adjustable positions. If you decide on two, they will need adjustment in March and in September every year. For three positions, they need adjustment 4 times a year. Benefit of the 3 postions is that there is a "middle" position for spring and autumn ...and... if you decide one day to stop the adjustments, just leave them in the "middle" position.    I would use the NW side, but definitely at 26deg as base-line, will even consider a frame that they face north.  But for some people the esthetics are more important, and sometimes you just can't have both....

Just remember, a horizontal surface area "reduce" by about 50% due to the sun's winter position if kept horizontal, and consequently so will your solar power generation. 

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