Satellite Solar Panel Orientation

In this post we give a brief overview of satellite solar panels and arrays sharing listings of multiple products available on the global marketplace if you would like to skip the introductory material and instead get straight to the product listings please click here.

Satellite solar panel orientation.

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. This is because the sun is always in the southern half of the sky in the northern hemisphere. There is a difference. In the northern hemisphere the general rule for solar panel placement is solar panels should face true south and in the southern true north.

The rule is that if you live in the southern hemisphere you should point your panels true north and if you live in the northern hemisphere you should point them true south. Photovoltaic pv panels collect solar radiation directly from the sun from the sky and from sunlight reflected off the ground or area surrounding the pv panel. Unlike larger satellites where the surface area available on the external structures is much greater cubesats. For the best results solar panels should be oriented towards the south.

Now a compass tells you magnetic north and south but it does not show you true north and south.