Finding the optimal angle to mount your solar panels optimal azimuth angle for solar panels.
Optimal tilt angle for solar panels.
The other half of the equation is finding the vertical.
Similarly you can calculate the angle for winter by adding 15.
For instance if your latitude is 34 the optimum tilt angle for your solar panels during winter will be 34 15 49.
For fall or spring you can just subtract 2 5 from the latitude.
For instance in the san francisco bay area the best solar panel tilt angle is between 22 23 degrees.
Finding the optimal tilt for your solar panels.
So what is the best tilt angle for solar panels in the united states.
The optimum tilt angle is calculated by adding 15 degrees to your latitude during winter and subtracting 15 degrees from your latitude during summer.
For los angeles a solar panel tilt of 19 degrees works the best.
There are two methods for calculating the tilt angle for solar panels.
A tilt of approximately 25 to 35 will work best for locations in the us.
In boston a solar array at 30 degrees south is still going to produce more electricity than tilted at 42 degrees and facing north.
It s not a good idea to install your panels to face a suboptimal direction even if it means the best tilt possible.
Tilt azimuth angle.
The summer optimum tilt angle on the other hand will be 34 15 19.
Whatever your latitude is you can subtract 15 from it to calculate the angle for summer.
For a precise method use the second formula on this page to calculate tilt angle.