BEFORE INSTALLATION – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
CONSIDER THE GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION OF THE INSTALLATION
Understanding the sun's motion relative to a site
is a crucial element to predict the solar panel
performance. In other words, a solar panel
located in Texas will harvest more energy than a
unit installed in Canada (considering both facing
south, using similar window). The same can
be said between Summer and Winter harvest
performance.
As a main recommendation, installations on
northern areas are recommended only for small
and middle size shades (up to 48" x 60"), with up to
one cycle per day. More aspects affect the performance of
solar panels and should be considered, not being possible
a "one size fits all" approach.
Understanding the sun's motion relative to a site is a crucial element to
predict the solar panel performance. A solar panel located in Texas
will harvest more energy than a unit installed in Canada (considering both
facing south, using similar window).
Solar Noon
S
E
Suns path on Summer solstice at a southern latitude
The Solar Panel may not be a good fit for every
window. In the summer, the sun rises higher in
the sky than in the winter months. The further
north, the lower the midday winter sun will be.
Due the sun position, Solar panels installed
facing north produce 4 times less energy than
a device installed facing south. For this reason,
we do no recommend the use of solar panel on
windows facing North.
Solar Panel |
InMotion
Reference Guide
™
W
Sunset
86°
N
Sunrise
Solar Noon
Altitude
Angle
S
38°
Sunrise
E
Suns path on Winter solstice at a southern latitude
Summer Performance
South Face
100%
West Face
95%
East Face
90%
North Face
60%
5
Source: http://www.fsec.ucf.edu
Sunset
W
N
Winter Performance
70%
90%
70%
25%