The effect of Solar Panel Angle on Solar Panel Efficiency

Introduction: Solar panels and sun energy has become more popular over the years as

worldwide energy production shifts away from non-renewable resources such as fossil fuels to

renewable resources such as solar energy and wind energy. Solar power plants (fields with

many solar panels) as well as individual uses of solar panel technology has increased in the 21st

century. The angle relative to the horizontal and the orientation of the solar panel can contribute

up to 30% for the efficiency of the solar panel system. In this investigation I will focus on the

impact of angle with the horizon and orientation has on solar panel efficiency. By maximizing

the efficiency of solar panel systems, we can produce more energy cleanly. The optimal angle

for maximum solar energy production varies depending on latitude, orientation of the solar

panels and the time of the year

Principles of Solar Panels: The main function of a solar panel is converting light (solar) energy

to electrical energy in order to be used for a variety of purposes. Solar panels come in the form

of Photovoltaic (PV) cells. Photovoltaic cells generally use a three-layer system in which the

top and the bottom layers are made from silicon and the middle layer is selected from a variety

of materials. This means that each layer is either charged positively or negatively, generating a

dipole-dipole interaction between the layers. A PV cell has two types of silicon in it: N-type

silicon and P-type silicon. An N-type silicon has extra electrons in them, whilst a P-type silicon

has additional spaces for electrons, known as holes. At a P/N junction, electrons can wander

across the two silicon’s, charging the P-type silicon positively and the N-type silicon negatively.

When a photon strikes a PV cell, it dislodges an electron, therefore creating a hole. The electron

travels towards the N-type silicon and the hole moves towards the P-type silicon. Then the

electron does electrical work before returning to the hole, therefore completing the cycle. This

is repeated for every photon that is strong enough.

Figure 1: An illustration showcasing the working principles of a photovoltaic cell.

The effect of orientation and angle for energy production: In order for a solar panel to work

at maximum efficiency, it needs to receive the sunlight at a perpendicular angle (90°). In order

to achieve this most solar panel assemblies focus on the orientation of the solar panels. The

orientation can be defined as the direction relative to true North for a solar panel. (0° being

North, 180° being South). For solar panels in the Northern Hemisphere the Solar Panels has to

face South for maximum efficiency since the sun is on the South of the panel year-round. The

opposite is true for the Southern Hemisphere. In places in which South or North facing panels

cannot be installed, East or West facing panels can be used. However, these come with a

significant production penalty. If a panel is facing east, it will produce higher energy in the

morning and very little in the afternoon. If a panel is facing west, then it produces more energy
in the afternoon and very little energy in the morning The angle of the panel relative to the

horizon is another way of enhancing the efficiency of the solar. Unlike orientation, solar panel

angle requires constant adjustments. The angle in which the sun comes in changes every day.

For the spring and autumn, the angle is nearly equivalent to the latitude of place in which the

solar panel is placed. In the summer months this angle is decreased by 15° and in the winter, it

is increased by 15°. This angle adjustments allow for a higher time period in which the angle

of the photon rays is striking the panels are closer to the normal.

Figure 2: An illustration showing the efficiency of a solar panel depending on its orientation.

(sud=south, est=east, ouest=west)

Methodology: In order to measure the effect of the angle with horizontal has for the solar panel

efficiency, data from multiple experiments were taken to determine a correlation between

latitude, time of the year and the angle the solar panel makes with the horizon. Using these data

and the correlation between the aforementioned variables, the angle of best efficiency was

derived for time of the year and latitude globally.

Karafil and 3 other scientists calculated the optimal tilt angle of a solar panel in Bilecik city,

Bilecik province, Turkey which has the coordinates 40° 8′ 35″ N, 29° 58′ 45″ E. The results

were the following:

Figure 3: The variance of optimal tilt angle depending on the day of the year

As seen in the graph the optimal tilt angle is highest at the winter solstice of 21 December and

lowest in summer solstice of 21 June. The optimal angle is 63,38° for 21 December and 16,57°

for 21 July. The year-round optimal tilt angle is 39,98°. The optimal angle varies by 46,51°

throught the year. This means that the solar panel angle must be adjusted constantly in order to

obtain maximum production. The average monthly angle is 40,06°. This roughly correlates with

the calculated optimal angle for maximum solar energy production. The year-round optimal tilt

angle closely correlates with the latitude of Bilecik, which is 40°

Figure 4: The variance of optimal tilt angle thought the months of May and June

Figure 5: The variance of optimal tilt angle thought the months of July and August

Figures 4 and 5 show the variation of optimal tilt angle between the months of May and August.

For May, July and August the optimal tilt angle is given by the optimal tilt angle on 16th (the

median) of each month. Since the optimal tilt angle trend changes direction on 21st June, the

optimal tilt angle of June is the angle in 10th of June.

Jacobson and Jadhav studied the optimal year-round solar panel tilt angle for cities in all

countries of the world. When compared with the latitude, the optimal angle of all the cities were

graphed according to the hemisphere they were in. This study also took environmental factors,

such as pollution and buildings into account as well.

Figure 6: Two graphs showing the correlation between Latitude and optimal tilt angle in

Northern and Southern hemispheres.

As shown in figure 6, the year-round optimal tilt angle closely correlates (R=0,96 for the

Northern Hemisphere and R=0,97 for the Southern Hemisphere) with the Latitude of the cities

in which the measurements were taken. As the latitude gets higher than 45° North, the optimal

tilt angle starts to stagnate. This can be explained by the selection of cities with high cloud

covers and haze and lack of cities selected in the aforementioned latitudes, thus increasing the

effect of this variables. The negative angles seen in solar panel designs in the southern

hemisphere can be explained by north-facing orientation of solar panels required in the southern

hemisphere in order to maximize the amount of light the panel is absorbing. It also has to be

noted that the angle of the solar panel must be set according to its orientation. This means that

the optimal solar panel angle changes when the orientation is changed since the goal is always

to get the angle as close as or equal to 90°.

Solar energy optimization based on panel angle involves a cost-savings calculation since

adjusting the angle of a solar panel involves significant costs. A cheaper solution to this may

be using angle of roofs of the panel. For optimal cleaning the panels should have at least 10° of

tilt. Aesthetics are also an important part when determining the angle of the solar panels since
most homeowners want to have their house to have nice look as well. Using a different angle

than angle of the roof that solar panels are being installed increases the costs tremendously and,

in most cases, offsets any potential gain made by increased efficiency thanks to the optimized

angle. Variable angle panels also have an additional cost. Panels that use the roof angle tend to

have 5% loss in solar energy production, which is relatively minimal.

Future Uses:

Solar energy has tremendous future potential and uses in the future. The shift away from fossil

fuels has meant that renewable energy resources such as solar energy has gained popularity.

Maximizing the efficiency of these solar panels allows us to rely more on renewable energy

resources and minimize damage done to the environment by burning fossil fuels. However,

solar panel angle optimization has to be implemented into house design in order to be effective.

As a starting point, houses can be designed with a roof angle that is closer to the optimal angle,

which can increase the efficiency of solar panels installed in these houses. Furthermore, the

roofs of houses can be made to face the sunlight directly, which will further increase solar panel

efficiency.

Evaluation:

Angle optimization of solar panels runs into two main problems: costs and existing designs of

houses and associated aesthetics. Adjusting the angle of a solar panel brings many additional

costs with it. If this adjustment will be done over and over again with a certain time interval,

the additional costs that come with it will also rise up adjustable solar panel systems require

new and more complex stands. Aesthetics of a house is also a problem when it comes solar

panel angle optimization. Using a panel that has a different angle than the angle of the roof

creates an aesthetically unpleasant image, which discourages homeowners from implementing

it.
Conclusion

In summary, the angle and the orientation of a solar panel greatly impacts its efficiency and

energy production. Generally speaking, an angle similar to the latitude of the location of the

solar panel is the optimal year-round panel angle. For more efficiency solar panels can be

adjusted more frequently. The optimal angle for spring and autumn is roughly equivalent to the

latitude of the location, whilst the optimal angle of summer is 15° to 20° less than the latitude.

The optimal angle for winter is 15° to 20° more than the latitude of the location. The orientation

of the solar panel also plays an important factor. Generally speaking, solar panels in the

Northern Hemisphere needs to face south for the optimal solar energy production and solar

panels in the Southern hemisphere needs to face north for the best solar energy production. If

there is a higher demand for energy production in the mornings, the solar panels may be fitted

east facing or have their angles adjusted for morning sunshine. For maximum energy production

in the late afternoon hours, the panels can be fitted facing west and have their angles adjusted

for late afternoon sunshine. To sum it up the angle and the orientation of a solar panel has a

significant effect on the production of the solar panel.

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