Roof Pitch For Solar Panels

Solar roof is comparable in price to a typical roof with solar panels.

Roof pitch for solar panels.

Trackers are structures which hold the solar panels in order to move and or tilt them according to the position of the sun. Many roofs are going to have slopes between 30 and 40 degrees which means that solar panels can lie flush against the roof and produce enough electricity for attractive returns. Roof pitch or slope refers to the amount of vertical rise a roof has relative to 12 inches of the horizontal run measurement. However solar trackers can be used on a ground installation or on a flat roof.

The following diagram will let you easily convert roof pitch. However pitch angles between 30 and 45 degrees will work well in most situations. Ideally a fixed roof mounted solar energy system should be at an angle that is equal to the latitude of the location where it is installed. Solar contractors recommend using the latitude of your home s location as the degree of tilt.

When you want to install solar panels it is vital to understand certain features of the roof and the solar panels. They cannot be mounted on a slanted roof. If you are trying to install solar panels on a steep roof it may not be possible to place panels at the optimal tilt with traditional racking systems. If you are looking at a roof plan for your home or business very rarely will it list the roof pitch in degrees instead it lists the rise and the run of the roof.

For example the latitude of los angeles california is 34 degrees so the tilt of your solar panels would be 34 degrees. At this level the solar panel can lie flat on the roof and get enough sunlight to produce enough electricity. 30 degrees is ideal but as long as it s not too steep to install safely the pitch is relatively unimportant. Solar roof is comparable in price to a typical roof with solar panels.

There are several factors in your control when it comes to finding the ideal pitch for your solar panels. Overall the angle of your rooftop has less impact on solar panel performance than the direction your roof faces. A solar panel roof load calculator helps you to establish the size and the weight of the solar panels that your roof can accommodate. The illustration shows the pitch of a 7 12 roof slope meaning that the vertical rise measurement roof rise is 7 and the horizontal run measurement roof run is 12.