Solar Panels: Where Should You Put Your Solar PV Panels?
One of the fastest growing green installations being taken up by households all across the world is solar PV. PV stands for photovoltaic and a PV installation is an array of PV cells in the form of panels which generate electrical power from sunlight.
If you're considering fitting a PV system to your home, you will need to find out whether the orientation of your home, particularly the roof surfaces, will give you the best amount of power generation from the available light. Depending upon what part of the world you live in, there will be an ideal orientation and elevation for PV panels. For example, if you live in northern Europe, in the UK, a south facing roof will provide the best performance from your panels.
You shouldn't lose heart if your house doesn't face the right direction. By altering the elevation of the panels of whatever roof surface is available, installers can improve the efficiency of the panels. While adjusting the elevation will improve the panel's output, it still might not reach it's optimum level. In these cases, there's no reason why you can't consider mounting them on your garage roof, or if some other outbuilding like a shed or playhouse. Equally, mounting the panels on frames and standing them in the best position available in your garden could be an even better way of maximising the output.
Just because you see panels installed on roofs in the adverstising, it doesn't mean that's the only option open to you. Look on the internet and find out what direction and elevation is best for solar PV panels in your area. You can then use a compass and figure out whether you need to think a little differently to be able to install your system. Don't give up - an installer will be keen to get the work and so they'll give you some great ideas from experience, even some you won't have thought of.