Tilt Your Solar Panels?
Tilt your solar panels? If you're a "summer only" boondocker, leaving your solar panels flat on the roof makes good sense. But for those who 'dock in the winter, tilting your solar panels can really make a difference. Why? Solar panels are most efficient when the sun falls on them at a 90 degree angle. Since the sun's relative position in the sky drops in winter, getting full output requires compensating the angle of the panel.Here's a chart that helps you figure out the tilt angle for your panel. You'll note that major cities on opposite sides of the country are listed, showing an approximate latitude for them. Find your location on a parallel between these cities, then use the associated angle to set your tilt.
Solar Panel Tilt by Latitude
City________________________Latitude_____Tilt Angle
Brownsville, TX-Key West, FL___25______________25
Corpus Christi, TX-Tampa, FL___28______________31
Austin, TX-St. Augustine, FL___30______________35
Tucson, AZ-Savannah, GA________32______________39
Los Angeles, CA-Wilmington, NC_34______________43
Las Vegas, NV-Raleigh,NC_______36______________47
San Francisco, CA-Richmond,VA__38______________51
Redding, CA-Philadelphia, PA___40______________55
Medford, OR-Providence, RI_____42______________59
Eugene, OR-Portland, ME________44______________63
Portland, OR-Duluth, MN________46______________66
Everett, WA-Grand Forks, MN____48______________68
Planning on wintering farther north than these latitudes? Skip the tilt chart, consult the yellow pages under the heading, "psychoanalysts."
Labels: solar panels, tilt solar panels
4 Comments:
Our 5th-wheel has three 100-watt flat panels that we'd like to convert to a tiltable system for our winter boondocking in the Southwest. Can you recommend a service center there that can do the job? RV centers here in the Northwest (including Camping World) don't even know what we're talking about when we inquire about tilting solar panels. Thanks!
By Gerry Bruder, at July 20, 2007 9:41 PM
Gerry:
I'm sure there must be a commercial outfit that could do it; most of us have done the 'do it yourself' route. We describe it in our "Boondocking Basics" book (on sale RV Bookstore). I may get inclined enough to try and do a blog entry on the subject, but it's a little more graphics intensive than your average entry. RD
By Russ and Tiña De Maris, at July 20, 2007 9:57 PM
I believe you mean Wilmington, NC
from tigrrfan in Greenville, SC
By Anonymous, at July 21, 2007 10:30 AM
Wilmington--don't tell me those reconstructionists have done it again! Sorry, like my friends from the South tell me, we may be mild, but Never Cross a Calinky boy. 'Nuf said. RD.
By Russ and Tiña De Maris, at July 22, 2007 3:52 PM
Post a Comment
<< Home