Solar Power Top Tips

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How to get the best from solar panels.

Lets face it, it's a solar panel. it needs to be exposed to sunshine!

Despite the variable weather conditions in the UK, we still receive enough solar radiation from the sun to make practical use of solar energy regularly in our every day lives. Solar photovoltaic panels come in all shapes and sizes and can be applied to the benefit of us and the environment in many day to day situations.

Solar Power Background Information

Before we start, I think it would be useful to give a little bit of background information about using solar photovoltaics to harvest energy from the sun. When using renewable energy, it is important to take on board that in most applications it can not provide the intensity of energy that we are so used to receiving via the mains power network. This does not mean that solar energy is not useful, far from it, it just means that it needs approaching with a different mindset.

The mindset that needs to be adopted is in itself an altogether healthier one in my opinion. It is basically that you can only take out what you put in. In other words, the power that is used must ultimately match that which is provided from the sun. This needn't be restrictive, provided that the input from a solar cell or array is matched to the power it is required to provide. To make this workable and flexible enough to be useful solar panels are usually used in conjunction with a battery to store the energy until it is required, or they can be "grid-tied". Grid tied means that the power from the panels can be exported to the national grid at times when production exceeds demand and, likewise, power can be imported from the national grid when the opposite is true.

To get the most out of your solar panels, whether they are charging your phone or powering your home, take a look at Tips for Getting the Most from Solar Power.

Face South

As we are in the Northern Hemisphere, the sun is always in the southern sky, rising in the East and setting in the West. Solar panels, therefore need to face due south to get the maximum benefit from the sun. Ideally the panel would "track" the suns progress from the East in the morning to the West in the evening. Some larger solar installations use tracking devices to do exactly this. On a smaller scale, sufficient efficiency is usually obtainable if the panel is facing as near to due south as possible. The sun is at it's strongest at midday when it is directly due south hence the positioning of the panel. In some instances it may be better to angle the panel slightly away from due south to take account of daily shading from trees or buildings for example. If the panel is going to be in shade until, say 11am because of a nearby building, then it is sensible to angle the panel slightly to the West so that better use can be made of any afternoon sun. If this is necessary the panel should still be kept within the range of SE to SW and as close to due South as possible to maximise efficiency.

Tips

face due south

panel angles, winter summer

likely output

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