Installing Solar Panels On North Facing Roof

While it is technically possible to install solar panels on the north side of your roof they need to be mounted so that they oppose the roof s slant in order to generate electricity.

Installing solar panels on north facing roof.

An ideal south facing roof here is pitched at 7 12 39ish degrees and the north side of that roof will produce less than half as much electricity. Adding modules on the north side of the roof will not add much bang for the customer s solar buck and would qualify as solar malpractice in my book. However the economics of installing solar panels on a roof that does not face the south still usually stack up for the homeowner. It s possible to mount solar panels so that they oppose the slant of your roof though this solution may not be as aesthetically pleasing as they won t sit flush.

This means that they won t sit flush with your roof and will still produce relatively little electricity. Panels mounted on a standard pitch roof facing east or west will produce approximately 15 less output than panels mounted on a south facing roof of a standard pitch. Even if you have a north facing roof you still have some solar options.