When investing in a solar pv installation, one of the questions people have is what direction is the most ideal direction for a house and its roof to be facing in order to achieve the best results, generating the most energy and therefore giving the biggest return on investment. This is a question that many people spend a lot of time deliberating over and one that can, and more than likely has, thrown up an answer that results in a person, couple or family deciding that a solar pv installation is not the route for them to go down.
One of the main reasons that people considering a solar pv installation decide against going for the investment is the mistaken thought that not having a South facing roof on their property means that solar pv won’t produce enough energy for them to make a worthwhile return on their investment. When you consider that here in Great Britain, as with the entire Northern hemisphere, the sun is situated to the south then it is quite clear why people would have that thought.
Whilst it is true that on a panel for panel basis facing South would generate a bigger yield than facing east or west, the same does not always apply to a solar pv system as a whole. One factor that many people seem simply to forget when asking this question is how many panels they can actually get on their roof. For example, if you have a mid terrace house with a South facing roof that can fit 8 solar pv panels on, then the opposing roof will be facing North. However, the same house with an east and a West roof will be able to take 8 panels on each side therefore allowing a bigger system and ultimately bigger returns.
In some cases, East and West is best.