Mark Explaining the Angles Involved with Solar Panels Installed on Roofs with Different Slopes

I made this in regards to a question asked by Be Free Solar of CT. They were great, and asked me to try and figure out how much the L brackets needed to be bent in order to fit perpendicularly to the panel. This quickly explains how the angles are affected by the position of a solar panel. It's installed over the intersection of two roofs with different slopes. On roof had a 45 degree pitch and the one below it had about an 18 degree pitch. This method should work for any combination.

I would suggest pre-cutting a board or rod the same length as the panel being installed. This way you could pre-measure the angle, pre-bend the brackets and try it out.

Mathematically, there are ways to calculate this using trigonometry, but miss-measuring a side length by even a 1/4 inch throws the degree measurements way off.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• slope
• pitch
• solar
• panel
• angles
• roof
• 2 roofs
• intersection

[gostkiewicz]

I agree, but this is for a set up where the entire roof is being maximized and the panels are flat against the roof. The angle of this spanning panel is determined by the layout of the panels above it. I guess the philosophy is changing about "maximizing" the output based on angling. My contractor showed me how investing in micro inverters would increase the output more effectively than spending the money to raise & anchor all the panels. Esthetically the smooth design looks nicer too.

[honkydudeman]

the angle of the solar panel ,should be adjustable to get full benefit of sun rays?theyre different in seasons of the year ?