An accurate solar elevation angle enhances solar panel efficiency. It determines how much sunlight a solar panel can absorb. A precise solar panel elevation angle is directly proportional to more sunlight absorption. A high angle helps allow solar panels to absorb direct sunlight, leading to more energy production.
As a solar system owner, you might wonder how to enhance its efficiency. So you can utilise every ray of sunlight to transform it into electricity. Are you looking to recover your investment cost in fewer years?
Then this article is worth reading.
Let’s understand how solar elevation angle impacts solar panel efficiency.
Understanding Solar Elevation Angle
The solar elevation angle is the angle between the sun and the horizon. It determines how high the sun is at any given time.
Let’s look at a few factors that influence the solar elevation angle.
- Time of the day: The solar elevation angle changes throughout the day. At noon, it is at the highest when the sun is directly overhead.
- Geographic Location: Regions are randomly located throughout the planet and affect the angle. The sun is higher in regions close to the equator.
- Seasonal Variations: The solar panel elevation angle varies with seasons.
It’s important to measure solar elevation angle for maximum benefits. It positions solar panels to absorb maximum sunlight. A precise angle improves your solar energy system’s performance.
Where can you look for a solar panel elevation angle calculator? You can find a solar elevation calculator online. Here are a few helpful resources.
- Everyday Solar’s Tilt Angle: This tool assists you in finding the best solar elevation angle. It provides you with optimal angles as per the season.
- SolarSena’s Solar Elevation Angle: This solar elevation angle calculator allows you to input details like data, time, timezone, latitude, and longitude. It determines the solar elevation angle and zenith angle based on your location.
You can calculate the solar panel elevation angle by this simple solar elevation angle formula.
Solar Elevation Angle = 90° − Zenith Angle
Relationship Between Solar Elevation Angle and Efficiency
Let’s see how solar panel elevation angle boosts their efficiency.
Photovoltaic (PV) cells from solar panels convert sunlight into electricity. Sunlight falls on these cells, creating an electric current.
A few factors that impact solar panel efficiency are:
1. Angle of Incidence and Energy Capture
The Angle of incidence is the angle at which sunlight hits the solar panel. To absorb maximum sunlight, it must hit the panel at an angle of 90 degrees. Too steep or shallow angles cannot absorb more sunlight, lowering solar panel efficiency.
2. Optimal solar elevation angle for maximum efficiency
It’s crucial to position the solar panels directly facing the sun. Adjusting the angle based on the time of day and as per season results in maximum sunlight absorption. In summer, the sun is higher in the sky. So the panels must be less tilted. However, in winter, the sun is lower. So the panels must be more tilted.
Here are a few angles based on seasons and times of day that you can implement on your systems.
- Summer: Position panels tilted at a lower angle.
- Winter: Keep panels tilted at a steeper angle.
- Midday: Panels must be adjusted so they face the sun directly overhead.
A correct solar panel angle improves efficiency by 20% to 40%.
Practical Implications for Solar Panel Installation
Here are a few practical tips to capture more sunlight.
1. Placement and orientation:
Place solar panels where they can receive maximum sunlight. Ensure trees or other building structures’ shadows do not block the sunlight.
2. Align panels to track solar elevation changes
Aligning solar panels to track the sun’s movement increases sunlight absorption. Now you have automated tracking systems, saving you to monitor it manually. It ensures your panels receive maximum sunlight to produce more electricity.
Some solar farms use dual-axis trackers. These trackers follow the sun horizontally and vertically. It helps solar panels absorb sunlight for the entire day.
Residential installations can use adjustable mounts. These mounts allow homeowners to manually change the tilt of solar panels.
3. Why are tilt and rotation important?
Tilt and rotation that adjust solar panels to the sun’s position are crucial. These help panels tilt to an angle based on the time of day and season. With perfect tilting, panels absorb more sunlight, producing more energy.
The above practical implementations can help you maximise your solar panel efficiency.
Challenges and Considerations
Solar sector has significantly advanced technologically since its inception. However, there are still some challenges that need to be addressed. These are as follows:
1. Current Solar Technology Limitations
Solar panels without tracking systems cannot capture maximum sunlight. It limits their performance.
2. Performance instability
Climatic conditions like clouds, dust, and pollution affect solar panel performance. Modern solar systems can work in low sunlight or cloudy days, but with limited output.
3. Extreme weather considerations
Heavy snow, strong winds, or intense heat may impact the performance negatively. Residents can overcome this challenge by installing storm-proof solar systems. However, they must be well-maintained to ensure consistent performance.
Understanding these challenges helps you maximise solar system’s efficiency and reliability.
Conclusion
Boosting your solar panel efficiency depends on the solar elevation angle. A precise angle helps solar panels absorb more sunlight, resulting in more energy. You can set up the best solar panel elevation angle by using a solar elevation calculator, which is available online.
You must ensure the angle of incidence is adjusted optimally. It ensures your panels absorb sunlight throughout the day in all seasons.
To know more about the solar elevation angle, contact a reputed solar energy company like Freyr Energy. They will guide you in setting up the most advanced solar systems that track the sun’s position and absorb more sunlight.
Frequently Asked Questions
The solar elevation angle is the angle between the horizon and the sun. It determines how much sunlight a panel can absorb. A precise angle helps the panels to absorb more sunlight.
You can use online tools such as Everyday Solar’s Tilt Angle or SolarSena’s Solar Elevation Angle. Manually you can use the formula “Solar Elevation Angle = 90° − Zenith Angle” to calculate the best angle.
The optimal solar elevation angle for solar panels is 90 degrees.
Yes, with adjustable mounts, it is possible to adjust the solar panel elevation angle according to different seasons.
Ignoring solar elevation angle optimisation may lead to the inefficiency of solar panels. They won’t be able to absorb enough sunlight or capture less sunlight. You won’t be able to fully utilise your solar panel’s potential, resulting in poor performance. It can lead to an extended payback period, which might prove expensive in the long run.
