In summary, panels can be oriented in the landscape or portrait orientation with no affect on the quantity of panels that can be installed. Portraitįigure 7 – Landscape and Portrait are Equal Portraitįigure 6 – Landscape and Portrait EquationsĪs Figure 6 shows, the number of panels that fit into a given area (A) are equal. Portraitįigure 4 – Spacing equations Now, for a given area (A), we can determine the number of panels (n) that will occupy the area (A) for both landscape and portrait as shown in Figure 5.įigure 5 – Number of Panels in an Given Area Finally, by replacing (D) with the spacing equation and multiplying through we get the result in Figure 6.
In Figure 3, (H) has been replaced with the appropriate dimension.įigure 3 – Replacing H By replacing (H) in the spacing equation with the respective dimension for both portrait (L) and landscape (W) we establish a spacing equation for both orientations as displayed in Figure 4. The height of the panel (H) is defined by the width (W) in landscape orientation and the Length (L) in portrait orientation. The first step in the calculation is to determine the required row spacing. To do this, it is appropriate to determine the maximum number of panels (n) that can fit into a given area (A) in both landscape and portrait orientation. Therefore, to correctly calculate which orientation will optimize efficiency, both landscape and portrait orientations must be evaluated to determine the relationship that the panel height (H) has on the number of panels that can fit into a given area. Portraitįigure 2 – H is dependent on orientation As is apparent in the calculation of (D), the row spacing is dependent on the height of the panel and the degree of tilt.
The sun elevation (α) can be found from a sun chart similar to the one published by the University of Oregon at: The variables (D) and (H) are described in Figure 2. The variable (Θ) is the tilt of the panels while the variable (α) is a function of the latitude of the installation and the optimal sun elevation. To calculate shading distance, and therefore row spacing, the Solar Energy Handbook suggests using the equation D Sin( ) * H as a method to determine the Sinĭistance from the front edge of a panel in one row to the front edge of a panel in the next row. The shading distance is the minimum distance allowed between rows thus dictating minimum row spacing and ultimately the total number of rows available over a given space. The primary consideration in answering this is the amount of shading provided by a given row. This leads to the second issue of how many panels can be installed within a given height. 2 Landscape Panelsįigure 1 – Number of Panels per Row As Figure 1 shows, it is possible to fit more portrait panels within a given row length. The example below shows the layout for a given row length and the difference in the number of panels that may installed. The first issue is the number of panels that can be installed in a given length. There are two primary issues that result in the debate between which orientation is optimal.
#LANDSCAPE VS PORTRAIT INSTALL#
Common thought suggests that choosing one orientation over the other will lead to the ability to install more panels over a given footprint.
Often, the question of whether to install the panels in landscape or portrait orientation arises. Portrait Maximizing the efficiency of solar installations hinges on the ability to install as many panels as possible in a given area. PortraitĪ Cooper B-Line Technical White Paper October 2010ĥ09 West Monroe Street Highland, IL 62249 Solar Power Panel Orientation: Landscape vs.
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