Cardinal Direction Solar

Hello! We want to equip our house with solar energy. My question is... is it important which direction the house faces? So, would it be less efficient depending on how the house is oriented?

Thank you very much!

Best regards

Solar or Photovoltaics?

Read up here

Regarding photovoltaics: It depends ;) For example, we decided to have a fairly even coverage of our tent roof on the east, south, and west sides in terms of optimizing self-consumption. This way, we achieve a consistent yield throughout the entire day.

Thank you for the tips!

Hello,

certainly the roof orientation is a decisive factor. With a photovoltaic system facing north, the outlook for electricity is rather bleak.

Partly decisive is also the roof shape:
Hip roof (see ) can be covered on the east, south, and west sides, which generates a more balanced yield. However, the yield on the east and west - depending on the season and time of day - will be lower than on the south (keyword: height of the sun). <-- correct me if I'm wrong
With a gable roof, you have "only" two sides to cover - but you can usually cover the roof side more extensively. Ideally, the covered roof side should be oriented south (although I would sometimes wish for a few collectors on the west side if the evening sun shines well there).

Also decisive for the yield are the geographical location, the roof pitch, and - not to forget - the shading from trees, satellite dish, chimney, taller neighboring house, etc. According to information, even small-area shading can lead to an 80% loss of yield of the affected panel.

One more question from me: What do you need the electricity for? If it is for heating support in winter, East and West are not so great anymore. A steeper roof pitch is also better then.