| Solar Electricity |
How toLocate the Solar PV System
HarnessingGreen Energy for a Home or Business
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| A PV system needs clear and unobstructed access to the sun’s rays for most of the year. The more sun exposure your system has, the more electricity it produces. Therefore, it usually takes a professional to help you site your PV system. The sun is always higher in the summer and lower in the winter. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, "The best insolation values come from a photovoltaic panel, oriented due south at an angle from horizontal equal to the latitude of the collector location. This is ideal for PV system installation, although other orientations are also used." This means the best location for a PV system is a south-facing roof, tilted at an angle equal to the latitude of the location. That’s the ideal. Our roofs are not always facing the ideal direction nor are they always at an ideal pitch. However, at times roofs that face east or west might be acceptable. And various roof pitches, including flat roofs, also work. That is why professional advice for your home’s installation is normally necessary. If a rooftop can’t be used, your solar modules can also be placed on the ground, either on a fixed mount or a tracking mount that follows the sun to orient the PV modules. See also:
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