Is a photovoltaic system also sensible in the west or east?

Hello,
we are wondering whether we will install a photovoltaic system on the roof in the foreseeable future. The empty conduits for it are already in place. However, we have a hip roof. On the south side, there are only a little over 20m² available for the system. Would it make sense to also use the west (or east) side to get more area, even if the sun does not hit it at the perfect angle there?

Short, yes! Some even include the north, provided the angle is shallow enough

Start PVGIS, specify exact dimensions, orientations, and shading of the four roof surfaces.

The gist there is to fully maximize everything (sometimes even north) and omit the storage. However, with continuously decreasing remuneration, profitability is currently becoming increasingly marginal.

And for the few pennies you get from just 20m2, I really wouldn’t put up with the tax madness, so if at all, then bigger.

I have also covered South, East, and West, each at 45 degrees. It all adds up, I would cover as much as possible. North with 45 degrees unfortunately does not pay off for us, maybe someday. Shadow management and string lengths are an issue with different orientations. I was advised to use SolarEdge for my roof. Maybe it will work conventionally for you, but those are already specialized questions. Where you can get good help was already mentioned.

Wow, thanks for the prompt positive responses! I didn’t even know there was an extra forum for it. So let’s best do East and West right away – great! As soon as it gets more concrete, I’ll register in the forum.

We would then have about 60m² available. My husband would like to work with a battery. Does anyone have an approximate idea of the space requirements for the battery?