More and more Americans are discovering that they can significantly reduce their electricity bills by installing a rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) system. In fact, with the right mix of solar rebates, tax credits and a number of other variables — like net metering and a high unit price for electricity from the grid — installing a PV system can truly be a great investment.
But before we get carried away, let’s review some basics. You may live in a state — like Arizona or California or Massachusetts or Pennsylvania or Colorado — where helpful solar incentives are available. You may pay a relatively high per-kilowatt hour (kWh) rate for your electricity, which means that, all else equal, a solar PV system would pay for itself quicker than it would where power from the grid is cheap. You may have even come into some money recently, and are looking for a reliable, medium- to long-term investment. But if you a’int got a good roof, you a’int gonna be doing a rooftop solar installation.
What, then, makes a roof good for solar?
(1) Orientation. Here in the northern hemisphere, southern exposure to the sun is ideal. You can, however, orient panels to the southeast or southwest without substantially decreasing performance. You can read more about the orientation (azimuth) and inclination (altitude) of solar panels here. And, if you really want to geek out, you can estimate your own numbers here.
The roof below, to take an example, has two south-facing sweets spots for solar:
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