Planning a Suitable Site For Your Solar Power System

It can be helpful to draw up a rough sketch of the site. It doesn’t have to be accurate, but it can be a useful tool to have, both during the site survey and afterwards when you are designing your system.

Include all properties and trees that are close to your site – not just those on your land – and make a note of which way is north.

Positioning the Solar Array

Your next task is to identify the best location to position your solar array.

Solar arrays need to be mounted at an angle, facing into the sunshine. The optimum angle varies throughout the year, but the best compromise is to install the solar arrays at an angle equal to the angle of the sun in the sky during March and September.

I’ll explain how you can calculate that later, but for now you’re looking at an optimum angle of between 40 deg and 64 deg from vertical in the United States, 33 deg and 40 deg from vertical in the United Kingdom and between 20 and 40 deg from vertical in Canada.

If the solar array is going to be installed in a building, then the solar array itself is quite often installed on the roof on the building.

This is an effective solution where the roof is south facing or where the roof is flat and angled mountings can be used to mount the solar array.

Other alternatives are to site solar panels on a wall. This can work well with longer, slimmer panels that can be mounted at an angle without protruding too far out from the wall itself.

Alternatively, solar panels can be ground mounted or mounted on a pole.

When considering a position for your solar array, you need to consider how easy it is going to be to be able to clean the DIY solar panels. Solar panels don’t need to be spotless, but dirt and grime will certainly reduce the efficiency of your home solar power systems over time, so whilst you are looking at mounting solutions, it is definitely worth considering how you can access your panels to give them a quick wash every few months. Learn how to build a solar panel today!

Learn how to DIY solar panels:
http://www.prlog.org/10295698-diy-solar-panel-complete-analysis-on-home-solar-power-systems.html

Learn how to build a solar panel:
http://www.greenearth4energy.com/build_solar_panel.html

Useful information home solar power systems:
http://www.prlog.org/10242729-how-to-build-home-solar-power-systems-to-save-electricity-in-your-home.html