For those who are not part of a tou model with their utility company the direction that you want to face your solar panels is south.
Best direction for solar panels.
This is so that you can expose your solar panels to as much light as possible to optimize their energy production.
For the best results solar panels should be oriented towards the south.
Therefore directions like southwest or southeast are fine.
Solar panels should face south for any home in america to obtain maximum power generation.
This is because the sun is always in the southern half of the sky in the northern hemisphere.
Now a compass tells you magnetic north and south but it does not show you true north and south.
Generally it s common knowledge in the solar industry that these south facing panels should be tilted between a 30 and 40 degree angle.
It is at this location that your panels will receive the maximum sunlight throughout the day.
However solar panels can be orientated on any roof that faces south of either east or west.
While the angle of your solar panels is important a more important factor in your energy production is going to be the direction your panels face.
If your roof does not face the right direction then surface mounted panels or pole mounted panels may be your best bet.
The most optimum direction to face your solar panels is somewhere between south and west.