North facing Solar Panels? Do they work? Lets get the results!

[@davidcoates6768]

Great video, thanks to the owner for letting you come back and film this!

[@GaryDoesSolar]

Thank you for making this video! 😃 I've wanted to make a video about North-facing panels for some time, but I was waiting for an installation with (i) a true North-South facing roof orientation, (ii) equal arrays on each, and (iii) data over a complete year. This video is the one! Would you be ok if I reference parts of this video in my own video please? I'd of course fully attribute the content back to your channel (name/logo etc.)

[@OvalRenewables]

Thanks Gary, yes of course. Keep up all your good work 👍

[@GaryDoesSolar]

@@OvalRenewables Thank you! 🙏

[@Lewis_Standing]

And Ricky Watts might be interested too

[@UpsideDownFork]

​​@@Lewis_Standing*runs and hides from Gary!* 😂

[@Tony-fl3rl]

Your definitely the tidiest and most professional solar installer I've sent on you tube .

[@UpsideDownFork]

Thank you so much for circling back to this. So many channels promise to follow up on projects like this and never do! Your original video played a big part in convincing me to go for 16 panels on my NW roof and ive never regretted that choice. Surface area is king and we all have to work with the roofs that we have. Diffused light is more significant than people may realise. My NW panels also get a significant amount of direct sunlight in the summer months which builds a lot of export credit in my energy account! Keep up the great content, it's really helpful! 👍

[@OvalRenewables]

That’s great to hear! I’m glad the video helped! Sounds like you are all setup!

[@SimonPerkins-j8r]

@@UpsideDownFork Yes and your video convinced me that north facing solar is worth it. Thanks to both of you how the word spreads 😀Also my neighbour installed north facing panels in March 2024 and he has produced as much solar as my south facing array installed in 2011 due to the increase in technology output etc.

[@UpsideDownFork]

@@SimonPerkins-j8r Great stuff!

[@SimonJHudson]

Are there particular panels that are better for north facing roofs? I expect that some panel chemistries have lower switch on voltages so are more useful for lower light conditions.

[@UpsideDownFork]

@@SimonJHudson Splitting hairs but there is some evidence to suggest that bi-facial panels are the way to go. As the sun peaks over the ridge, apparently the rear of those panels can be better illuminated than in any other scenario. Potentially yielding 10-20% more than standard panels. I'd like to see some hard evidence for this assertion, but it does make some sense.

[@nathansingleton9106]

I’ve been working in the commercial ground-mounted solar industry for over 10 years, and these numbers are truly impressive! I didn’t expect the north side of the roof to contribute around 35% of the annual generation. The ROI must look fantastic now. Well done, and great video! I have been working

[@OvalRenewables]

Thanks mate!

[@borisutech3772]

It's even more at those days when the sun is not shining

[@waterloowar]

that may not reflect the truth because it was very wet last year. the output from the south facing panel should be less than what it can be.

[@oebydoeby]

The pitch of the roof makes a big difference. Everybody called me a idiot for placing panels on the north side of my house but the pitch of my roof is just 15 so i was also very surpriced how well they are doing. Especially on cloudy days you can still generate enough to cover the needs

[@andrewsweetapple5173]

I planned my own Solar Edge system a couple of years ago. At the time I spent a lot of time calculating the benefit of installing a number of the panels on a north facing roof. I put in 24 panels spread over four separate roofs, and feeding an 8Kw inverter / 10Kwh battery. I can confirm remarkably similar results to those you showed us and would agree that (in the right situation) it is totally worth installing at least a proportion of north-facing panels. The system overall has exceded my expectations!

[@OvalRenewables]

Great to hear!

[@hanswallner2188]

Thank you for posting results, we got very similar results with a northern array. At today's low prices for solar it absolutely makes sense to use north facing roofs!

[@OvalRenewables]

Thanks for sharing

[@connordines667]

Great video! I’ve always wanted panels on north and south and defo will be doing so when I do my own solar!

[@serraios1989]

Thanks for the video. Your data confirm what we already know from the pv generation calculators. PV Watts is spot on

[@Waciglass]

Our 5 North West panels generate a substantial amount in the late sun. Well worth having 😀

[@SimonPerkins-j8r]

Excellent video has helped confirms my decision to add north facing panels in 2025 thanks

[@waterloowar]

the number is good just because 2024 is a wet year. not much sunshine to the south facing panel

[@OvalRenewables]

No problem let us know if you need any help with that 👍

[@electrician247]

Good reassurance as we are pointing 14 panels dead north this week on a project lol. Great video

[@radiotowers1159]

Excellent video, my south facing is just about the same. North facing of course gains in the summer more. Thanks

[@borisutech3772]

Thanks for the Video. Only important point that was missed is that especially if the power is used at home the north side produces even more percentage in the times with less sun. This is when we often need electric power the most.

[@sploooker]

Amazing, as always great video. Surprised me with your findings, I love your detailed analysis, like mentioning “it’s not necessarily the Sun but the brightness that gives you power” Thank you. I have noticed the Sun in the summer time rises a lot more towards the east and now in the winter it is rising more towards the south east direction, it seems you can’t lose with the cheapness of the panels these days.

[@moulinroche]

Thanks for this video you have helped me make my mind up on whether it's worth installing solar panels on the roof of our barn. We're in a valley next to a large hill in Normandy France and we don't get direct sunlight on the roof from late November to early February. That's quite a chunk of the year! I have really struggled to find any information about the performance of solar panels in this situation so this was very informative. Also as an aside, great camera work and presentation. You have an additional subscriber in me👍

[@JohnJones-ri7pi]

I was patiently waiting for this update and suspected the North panels would perform well as this shows, thanks for the video 😊 e.on installed 16 395w panels on my south west roof in 2022… they talked me out of a further 8 panels I wanted installing at the same time on my north east facing roof 2 years later I got 8 430w panels on my north east facing roof installed by someone else and I’m not making this up… they have produced more kWh per panel than the south west panels!!!

[@grahamastor4194]

Thanks for this video, surprising outcome.

[@OvalRenewables]

Glad you liked it!

[@Sithehandyguy-London]

Great info, appreciated. I have 4kw spread over east 1kw, south 2kw and west 1kw elevations but never thought about north and have space for another 2kw..👍🏼

[@OvalRenewables]

Great place to generate that bit extra! Let us know if you need a hand with that 👍

[@MrKlawUK]

had a 2.5kwp south array an old FIT array which left no space on my roof. Last year I got 4kwp put on my north roof when I was getting a battery fitted - at the time that was needed to get 0%. I’m very happy with the results. Get about equal which works as the south array is smaller but south facing. Main thing isn’t peak generaiton its baseload coverage where surface area just helps a ton to keep from pulling from the grid.

[@rikkiesix]

Also don't forget the angle of your roof, the angle of this roof was pretty low so noth facing pannels is a better option. The higher the pitch the less interesting it becomes. Great video by the way.

[@OvalRenewables]

Apologies if I didn’t mention the pitch. It’s a 30 degree pitch which is standard on the uk

[@rikkiesix]

@OvalRenewables No apologies necessary. Top video

[@kevindavis8442]

I have installed 6.3kWp on our south roof, and 6.3kWp on our North roof, 12 panels on each, and a roof pitch of 23 degrees, the last 31 days the south has generated 105kWh with max power of 3831W, and the North has generated 54.66kWh with max power of 1366W, so this confirms you findings, basically the North generates approx 50% of what the South roof generates give or take. I am however expecting the North to generate a better % when we get to the Spring and summer as the sun will be higher in the sky, and as we have a low pitch on the roof, should get more sun hitting those panels than a house with a 45 degree pitch, system has only been on for a couple of months though hence not much data. Battery is a game changer, we have 32kWh battery

[@mx97jb]

Great video mate. I’m a MCS registered installer and I’ve recently moved to a house which is dead south /north and I have been toying with the idea of doing the north side when I do the south side. Just as an experiment more than anything. I definitely will now. Thank you

[@OvalRenewables]

Thank you! Yes do it!

[@Mark-sw2xx]

Very nice to finaly see a good comparison for north facing panels. I'still curious how these compare month-over-month. I thing in the winter the north facing panels are doing much wors compared to the south bq the sun is nog getting over the equator. I would also like to see how the hour-over-hour production is doing with comparing north to south facing panels.

[@OvalRenewables]

I’ll see what I can do in potentially a part 2

[@herrtomas6729]

Agree with you. I’ve just had installation with PW3 since October on 3 faces at 90’ to each other: clockwise starting from NNE with 4+3+4 panels. My more northerly 4 have so far produced about 25-30% of my output to date. Yes, poor time of year, but definitely max your panels with the initial installation. I also believe you should have as much battery as you can afford to take advantage of cheap night rates for winter charging.

[@TheRonskiman]

And make sure the inverter can charge the batteries in the cheap slot, no good having 30kWh of batteries and a 5kWh inverter as in three hours it could only charge 15kWh for example, this is often overlooked.

[@herrtomas6729]

@@TheRonskiman you have to ensure the installer sets it right. With PW3 this is not under consumer control

[@jabberwockytdi8901]

In this particular case the north roof also has the advantage of being set back from the 2 either side so when the front is shaded by the neighbours in the morning and evening the rear can pick up some sun to fill that gap.

[@OvalRenewables]

Each house is different. Some will have a better situation and some will have a worse one. However the amount of generation is really good!

[@nobotshere8364]

That is a neat install!

[@OvalRenewables]

Thank you! 🙏

[@stucrawford6230]

Great Info Many Thanks

[@johnmontgomery157]

Interesting video, my south facing roof is already full with 4kw of solar, it’s on a FIT scheme for about 10 years already. I’d like to have battery storage, would fitting panels to the north side be a good idea? Probably go with Octopus Agile for night charging when the import tariffs are low.

[@MrKlawUK]

exactly what I did. if you can get on something with octopus outgoing or a similar tariff at 15p/kwh and with a battery storage maybe your ‘average’ home usage is around 8-9p due to running off peak most of the day, then extra solar is helping offset almost 2 kwh for every kwh it generates.

[@Richardincancale]

My house is pretty close to north south like this example, but the south facing roof is full of dormer windows etc., so might only have room for 4-5 panels. Probably room for 12 panels on the north face. Is there a tool that can calculate the generation potential based on latitude and roof pitch to see if it’s potentially worth while?

[@raymondkimbung5540]

Very informative piece. Thank you. Can you comment on the extra percentage investment for adding the north-facing panels compared to installing only the south-facing array?

[@OvalRenewables]

I would have to work it out. I will look at a follow up video

[@jimmarr9556]

In July We had 14 x 500w panels fitted on NE roof with 6 fitted on SW roof due to restricted space. SolarEdge 10kwh battery and 8kwh inverter and gateway. I haven’t looked too deeply at numbers but it’s looking good so far. As you say, it’s worth doing.

[@OvalRenewables]

Great to hear!

[@brianpearson2532]

I’m curious at to what the latitude of the house is for this installation? Given my roofs 8:12 pitch and my house being located at latitude of 42 degrees N, I’m trying to compare the numbers in the video to what I might expect with a simliar setup.

[@OvalRenewables]

Hi there the pitch of the roof is 30 degrees

[@TheRonskiman]

Thank you for following up on this, great video, hopefully it will encourage more to go north. They perform pretty poorly in the winter, but with reasonable export rates we can now bank in the summer months when they perform well, to help with costs in the winter. It's also reassuring to hear what you say about installation costs, we've been saying this for ages on forums, get as many panels fitted as possible, as they are already on site, the additional costs will be less per panel. Just one question, if doing the install now would you just go PW3 and connect the strings straight to that? Seems a no brainer to me, no shading issues by the looks of it, and would save a lot on costs, the install would be quicker as well saving on labour.

[@OvalRenewables]

Thanks for the comment, putting the solar straight into the Tesla would absolutely reduce the install cost. I am a huge fan of SolarEdge, we simply wouldn’t have had this level of data without it. For me I feel that the SolarEdge element of the north facing panels has probably helped to increase production as my theory of the reflected light helping to increase the generation on the north means that it may hit all the panels differently meaning optimisation allows the panels the light does hit to use more of it than if it was just getting soaked up by a normal PV string. I have no firm answer but data is power and that is what the SolarEdge kit gives you.

[@TheRonskiman]

@OvalRenewables I'm not convinced it's actually going to make much difference in cloudy diffused light. I have a 2015 SolarEdge system, and also various different string's on a Victron system, so no optimisers on them, in cloudy diffused light I see pretty much exactly the same power on the two identical strings facing n/east and s/west. Twice last week my SolarEdge system never even started up due to low light, where the Victron still generated something, no idea if newer SolarEdge systems/panels perform better. I'd also suggest it should be a customers choice if shadings not an issue, as doing away with the SolarEdge system would be much cheaper, it's a lot of money to pay just for you to have data, doubt many owners look at it.

[@Milkybar3320011]

Would a few vertical panels on the south face been a better option?

[@bcpbrennan]

Would love to know the cost of the 12 on the front in isolation & then the cost if it was the 24. Or even a percentage cost?

[@JohnJones-ri7pi]

It’s very cost effective the more panels you add, just fill the roof with as many panels as you can is my advice

[@bcpbrennan]

@ yeah, just Wondering what percentage! Filled my flat roof with 17 of them. Probably could have put another 4 or 5 on the pitched roof. 🤷‍♂️🙈🤷‍♂️

[@JohnJones-ri7pi]

@@bcpbrennan I did the same mistake I put 16 on my west roof should’ve done the east roof at the same time probs cost me an extra £2k doing it in two hits

[@sweetvuvuzela4634]

Panels are so cheap now it’s the install cost if your doing one side you might as well do both if you got space and budget

[@lovinglife2340]

Good project. I am interested to understand the marginal extra costs for an additional array of north panels compared to the saving. E.g. the north roof generated 2457 kWh, which would cost me from eon: 2457 x 22.26p including VAT = £546 per annum. How many years would it take to recover those marginal costs? Thanks

[@junkerzn7312]

This is great data. I've had a third MPPT string input just sitting in my junction box up on the roof and the most convenient place to add more panels to use that string input is on the north-facing side. The real question, though, is how well do north-facing panels work in winter when the sun angle is so low that you barely get any direct sun. All ambient. Now there is a lot of ambient light in winter due to cloud-cover and such, but I'd like to know what the summer-vs-winter ratios are north-vs-south to really get a good idea about what it can do for me in winter. -Matt

[@OvalRenewables]

A few have mentioned this. I’ll see if I can do a part 2

[@moorgrovee]

Would be nice to se some charts of the south vs north for each month. Is the north producing most of its energy in the summer months when the sun is high on the horizon or is it the background light when cloudy and the rest of the year that makes the south and north produce the “equal” amount?

[@PierreAlainMaire]

At 6:00 there is less self-consumed energy (blue) in summer, this looks strange to me 😕 You may want to blur the GPS coordinates on your phone, as you've hidden the street nr plate 😛 Nice explanation, and with the price of panels being low (less thant 100€ in Italy last month for a 430W panel) it's worth the investment.

[@robynrox]

In hindsight, having north-facing panels as well as south-facing panels would have been an excellent idea. Having already had south-facing panels put in, I think it would be difficult to justify now. That said, there is space for some more south-facing panels below the chimney, so an upgrade in years to come might still be an idea. I have 12 390kWp panels coupled to a 3.6kW inverter. It generated 4196 kWh in the first year and the panels are on the 174 degree S facing roof; they are subject to a bit of shading that happens roughly between the equinoxes that wouldn't be a problem for panels on the north side. It's great to know the likely generation of the panels; it would be good to know the roof elevation and how much effect that has. Thanks for the video!

[@veeerzes]

I have both 14 panels on my south/east roof as well as 14 (older) panels on my north/west roof. I am also using Solaredge and I have the same results. However since my north/west panels are older 260wp panels, I am thinking of replacing them next year for new panels (as they are dirt cheap at the moment).

[@OvalRenewables]

Sounds good. Let us know if you need a hand 👍

[@Lewis_Standing]

This is really interesting. Im SSE and NNW with dormers. Traditional solar wouldn't work we'll be with shadowing and complications. Maybe someone bespoke and clever like yourself maybe able to make a suboptimal roof like mine work..

[@juliantucker354]

I’d like to see a east west comparison for north south. Since there is a max output for a panel would the two indirect panels make a larger output compared to direct south and indirect north.

[@victorvdb777]

how much do they produce in winter in comparison to the south panels?

[@OvalRenewables]

Video coming soon

[@sorbetingle]

😊😊 A shallow pitched south facing roof would generate good numbers, as although technically the roof facies south the panel's on shallow pitch face a good chunk of the sky especially in summer months when the sun is at its highest. A south facing high pitched roof id hate to think how little that would generate.

[@HaiderAlDelfi]

The optimisers are helping here too, likewise with microinverters the lower starting voltage helps in panels in suboptimal orientation. (I have panels on four orientations)

[@TheRonskiman]

I'll beg to differ, absolutely no need for optimisers or micro inverters on either of these roofs, unless the customer wanted the added safety or reporting, it's just added expense. I know this install predates the PW3 but consider how much cheaper it would be with a PW3. I have multiple strings installed, a Solaredge system and a Victron system which users conventional strings, two days in a row this week the Solaredge system didn't even start up, whereas the Victron system produced power from the least optimal roofs.

[@HaiderAlDelfi]

@ I can only comment on Enphase microinverters, they start at a very low voltage and with a warranty of 25 years it’s not even like for like comparison with a traditional inverter with just 10-12 years.

[@TheRonskiman]

@HaiderAlDelfi yes they have there uses, but on a roof that doesn't need them they are a risk, I'm pretty sure the warranty doesn’t cover scaffolding costs. Adding batteries requires a separate inverter whether that be built into the batteries or separate, so you still need an inverter if you want batteries.

[@HaiderAlDelfi]

@@TheRonskiman Depends on your installer. Covered on mine for 10 years. I also happen to live in a bungalow so really easy to get up there.

[@TheRonskiman]

@@HaiderAlDelfi That's good on both counts.

[@John-ik1os]

Interesting, so with the addition of the north facing panels how has this reduced the payback period in years for the entire installation (including the Tesla battery)? Also what would you consider to be the lifetime usefulness of the panels fitted (before replacement panels are required) in years?

[@tangent2658]

This is exactly the kind of content I'm looking for. I'm SSW to about 160. My roof is 50o which is a considerable difference to the property shown. Idealy I'd like data on a steeper pitch

[@OvalRenewables]

That is a crazy steep pitch, however if you are just putting panels on the SSW roof then you will get great generation

[@tangent2658]

@@OvalRenewables Yeah, its a townhouse with a dutch roof on the second floor, complete with 3 velux windows on the SSW but only one on the NNE. Just have about enough space for 2 rows of 4x 170+/113 panels above and below the velux... possibly 11 with mixed portrail/landscape but that's questionable. JRC is estimating the bellow from 11x 440w NNE panels, which is attractive but I want that backed up by real world data Slope angle [°]:50 Azimuth angle [°]: -160 Yearly PV energy production [kWh]:2032.79 Have the possibility of a 4x solar pergola in the back garden but that's hindered by the house blocking for much of the year.

[@ssoffshore5111]

@@tangent2658 Your production will not be as good with that much pitch. I would model it on PVWatts calc and see if it's worth it to you (it's always VERY close!)

[@charliecouzins7652]

Thank you so much for sharing, one key part to the success is possibly the roof pitch being shallower than other types of houses. I have similar orientation but a steeper pitch roof so it's interesting to compare. So 2yrs ago I've crammed 12 x 420w Jinko panels on the south with a less fancy ac coupled inverter. +5kWh battery costing just shy of £10k Im in Cambridgeshire with 0 shading and my April 23 to April 24 generation is 5,530kWh. Given my steeper roof pitch I doubt I would get 35% on the north but would be interested to see data on this. I agree that it would be more cost effective per kW to do the north but it would extend the pay back period of the investment.

[@rhyme2192]

Whenever your utilities will kill net metering (and it will happen) then panels on the north will help out immensely in the morning for covering your own usage in the day.

[@MrKlawUK]

UK has small houses. if you paraphrase the old US muscle car adage - there is no replacment for displacement - an equivalent for solar would be something like ‘there is nothing fairer than surface area’. If you have a big house with a massive unshaded south facing roof thats great. but for an average 3 bed house? Fill it up

[@TheFlyingJanner]

Not 2 sides with 5x440w Jinkos or something for way more output? Looks like they'd fit....

[@IANREA]

So for this house what is the total cost inc Labour to fit all those solar, batteries, inverter etc? What did the home owner receive in payment from the grid for the power it generated. Are those air source heat pumps attached to the rear of the house., vibration, noise?

[@martinmurer4954]

What is the inclination of the roof? This seems to be flatter than the 30° I have?

[@OvalRenewables]

It’s bang on 30 degrees

[@tonyfeasby1437]

Definitely worth doing if money not a concern but cant see many shared costs beyond the inverter. Clearly the bigger the north roof it might be financially viable.

[@markrainford1219]

Do you need structural calculations for that many panels on a roof?

[@OvalRenewables]

Yes absolutely

[@ashleyspencer3664]

Great video. Be interesting to expand on the cost per watt installed. If people understand even north face ones would cost the same or less due to a south install being put in place anyway think more people would load up. Is an absolute travesty these new builds aren’t all installed with solar when built

[@OvalRenewables]

I wanted to stay away from that convo in this one as each job is different but there are many shared costs that bring down the cost per kw installed

[@morphixnet]

What's the angle of the roof and does that have an impact? Note: I cannot believe nobody else in that neighbourhood has solar with such perfect roof space!

[@SolAce-nw2hf]

So far the NE facing roof is producing about 72% compared to the SW facing roof on my home. Both roofs have a dormer blocking half of the panels some of the day. When adjusting for the Wp rating the NE facing panels perform at about 67% of SE. Without the NE roof panels I would be missing out on about 2100 kWh per year.

[@AramisYouTube]

Interesting, what about the roof angle, this is a very low apex roof. Wouldnt a more vertical position on the roof mean even less production?

[@OvalRenewables]

A few have mentioned this. I’m annoyed I forgot to mention the pitch. It’s 30 degrees which is standard in the uk for a lot of homes

[@ssoffshore5111]

Yes. The more pitch, the worse the performance is on the north side.

[@johnbell1859]

Great video,one question. I was told you could only have 5 kilowatts is this correct. 🇬🇧

[@OvalRenewables]

No there is a big misconception on the total amount you can have. Firstly there is a difference between the inverter size and the total installed capacity of the panels. The DNO do not care about the number of panels they can as to the size of the inverter. You can have an inverter larger than 5kw. Anything over 3.68kw single phase requires prior approval from the DNO. However we regularly get approval for systems larger than 5kw

[@Stevencanfix]

Nice touch the paperwork holder, put a QR code at the bottom of it below your logo for people to find your website

[@OvalRenewables]

Thank you! We are actually developing something like that! 🙏

[@raymondgray4268]

You have not discussed the angle of the roof. This roof seems to be fairly shallow - a steeper pitched roof would presumably produce a lower percentage of generation on the north side.

[@OvalRenewables]

I believe I did mention it, sorry if I didn’t. Both sides are 30 degrees which is the standard 👍

[@raymondgray4268]

@@OvalRenewables Sorry if I missed it - Thanks

[@faraway5828]

Would be fascinating. to see the winter figures - in 'flat' overcast conditions,, I suspect there would be almost no difference between the two planes effectively doubling the output,, exactly when one needs more pv.

[@UpsideDownFork]

That's exactly what my data shows.

[@PJWard-jl7uh]

What is the backing board you use on the wall to attach your equipment ?

[@OvalRenewables]

It’s called Hardie board. It’s a concrete fibre board.

[@stevejagger8602]

There's common sense in utilising the installation cost of equipment and manpower to maximise the solar gain from a roof. What is the cost per installed kw for solar panels in the UK?

[@reecevaughan4225]

Really interesting video, I've been considering solar since moving in to our new property last year but wondered whether it would be worth going for both sides and I think it may be! It would of been really nice to see how much that entire installation cost and generated over the 12 months though - looks like they sold about 50% of the power generated back to the grid and they have full air conditioning by the looks of it !

[@OvalRenewables]

If you want us to see how much it would cost on your property then drop us an email to [e-mail]. The customer wasn’t happy to share the cost on a video

[@reecevaughan4225]

@OvalRenewables I'm in South Yorkshire, would it massively impact the cost being so far away from you guys?

[@OvalRenewables]

@ we are only in North Yorkshire. No we travel nationwide, you pay a little bit more but that extra bit of money split over the next 20 years of the system is next to nothing per year. We obviously pride ourselves on high levels of workmanship but also after-sales which is worth a bit more 👍

[@davidsandilands1285]

Interesting video but no cost case analysis south v north

[@OvalRenewables]

Thanks! I stayed away from the cost side of things as the customer didn’t give us permission to share cost. I wanted to show the main stats so that anyone could make their own assessment based on their own situation. Each install is different 👍

[@barriedear5990]

Getting quotes for a house with an east/west split roof and asking installers to put 7 panels on the vertical gable wall which is south facing. No-one seems keen for some reason. I know it is not ideal, but would complement the 2 x7 panel E/W arrays, and as you say, it is not adding much to the expense.

[@Hansen710]

i would also think about if its the only option if they can be placed so they are not fixed to the wall it will make the house more valuble.. cant you park a tailer infront of the house if you wrap the house in facade panels (like rock panel) and then make the solar panels smooth with the surface/facade panels it might raise the value to some buyers it does not need to be thicker then the solar panels, it just needs a small gap for air between the facde panels and the house rock panel for example insulates like a 50mm rockwool batt many places do have rules that you need to lower the solar panels down in the roof, so they are not higher then the roof it gives another look, when they are not raised from the surface just like some tall buildnigs do have them flat with the surface most walls are not made to have a panel where the wind is pulling you might end up pulling out stones if to much wind gets behind the panels walls are made to take the big presure from above, not the sides

[@jacekkieblesz655]

Just check summer vr winter, winter when most energy is needed then you wii get idea if it is worth even considering.

[@OvalRenewables]

I’ll have a look and see if I can do a little add on 👍

[@Mike-.]

Very cool

[@OvalRenewables]

Thanks!

[@Arjen46]

I would like to see the same graph for each month, as the angle of the sun is much lower in winters

[@sweetvuvuzela4634]

Between October to April you won’t get much from north facing due to the suns axis.

[@Arjen46]

@@sweetvuvuzela4634 yes, and simultaneously, that's when you'd require the most energy for heat pumps, etc. That's indeed why I would be interested in a more detailed statistics analysis.

[@sweetvuvuzela4634]

@ I have south and north facing panels. Obviously the south facing panels will be much better but north facing ones also perform well on par with the south facing ones. This only happens for a shorter period then the south facing ones due to the way the sun shines. But I have had abundance of power from March to October. And south facing panels do work in winter but due to shorter days it’s not even worth acknowledging. I have 12 north and 12 south facing 400 w each. I had the south facing ones fitted first being sceptical. Following spring I got north side done. Got batteries too in summer batteries last overnight and start charging in the morning around 8am and 9 am for the north facing. Hope this answers your question. My bills are so low now they are more standing charge then actual purchasing of power ( not in winter) Based in greater London

[@Arjen46]

I’m indeed convinced that any panel in any wind direction contributes to power output, but without properly supporting the video with more specific statistics, it’s more like; ‘We sell panels and would like to sell you more panels, because more panels generate more power’. Annual figures don’t mean anything in December.

[@sweetvuvuzela4634]

@ correct November October till more or less spring your lucky if the panels generate enough to do your background use. Fridges lights etc forget heaters heat pumps etc.

[@Robin-Smith]

4556 kWh is about 520wH if using a flat line across the year Per square meter, assuming 1.5 per panel is about 29wH per sqM. Assuming the panels are 20% efficient, the maximum possible per sqm, directly south facing, in the south UK, is 22wH/sqM. So your system is delivering numbers about 25% above what that laws of physics allows. Unless the panels are 30% efficient which is unheard of. Or the panels are larger than the average size I used. Please can you clarify?

[@grahamcook9289]

But when do the North facing panels produce? Are they only productive in the summer and contribute little to nothing in the winter? As the property has two heat pumps that provide CH in winter, power generation in winter is important, more important than summer.

[@davedutton5291]

I have a north easterly facing roof and a south westerly as well as an easterly one. I had tried to get quotes for all three or the best two but none of the installers were interested. I still plan on having at least two of the roofs with solar and just trying to find an installer who will at least give me a quote. Any suggestions?? Thanks

[@OvalRenewables]

Hi Dave, head onto our website and send us an enquiry and we can take a look if you like? www.ovalrenewables.com

[@BROOMEngineeringTMIET]

I don't believe you said the roof pitch which will have a bearing on performance??

[@OvalRenewables]

Annoyingly it doesn’t look like I did. It’s 30 degrees

[@WebDeveloper-xs4uf]

Good luck with solar in UK, the airlines have modified fuels to make sure grey skies appear after they fly over, normally anout an jour later as the aerosols sulphate float down to cause all dau every day grey oit and rain.

[@stunicholson3921]

lol

[@steveeggleton876]

BUT, noticed some export in your first look in the stats, are the north ones just contributing to this in the summer at a tiny price from the electricity supplier. and conversely not adding much to the home or battery in the winter. Needs a more detailed look over the 12 months to find out if the south only would have been enough to use and reduce export to a lower level. eg is the north side just subsidising the electricity suppler? and not contributing much to the home owner

[@OvalRenewables]

Thanks for the comment, I will see if I can do a follow up one to go through the stats for the different months over the same time period. However with increased export rates now, at my house I’m on £0.15 per kWh, even if you are exporting all that north power, you are collecting that money to help with the bills in the winter. However more generation in the winter is the ideal situation.

[@jabberwockytdi8901]

That's a fairly low angle pitch roof and not shaded to east or west so you are going to get a good amount of solar all day through a lot of the year an even at midday in the middle of the year the angle of incidence is pretty good. A steeper pitch roof would likely work at it's best in middle 4-5 months of the year summer when the sun is rising and setting well to the north of the east west line, and would be more morning evening biased in it's generation.

[@OvalRenewables]

It’s actually a 30 degree pitch which is fairly standard but I think you are right that the steeper the pitch the lower the generation.

[@sun-sea-solar]

Thank God panels have plummeted in cost. 👍

[@OvalRenewables]

Exactly. Makes the case to add more!

[@sun-sea-solar]

@OvalRenewables absolutely. I would fill my garden if I could. Actually sent an equiry but I think my own system plus any you installed on my roof might be a bit over kill

[@st11gxavier71]

I designed my own system & had it installed 2012 on a NNE & SSW roof with a pitch of ~35°. I get about 60% on the NNE vs SSW roofs, so overall 'efficiency' around 80% across the year. 3kW5 SSW +4KW NNE , Max output 5.96kWs. My only problem has been, that during the last 12-18 months, the NNE side (only) has developed a greenish mould, (12 years on), reducing NNE output. Does anyone know what I might use to remove this without damaging the pv? I think it will need more than just water . Are there any companies specialising in pv cleaning of this sort?

[@PjotrII]

Interesting, but needed to be point out, this i very much based upon where one lives. 35% production is quite good from panels "not in optimal position"

[@Hansen710]

if it was bifacial they would have a ok angle to let sun in to the back side on the top of the panels and maby also from the sides in the morning and evening

[@OvalRenewables]

Hi, it’s a dark tile roof and has solarskirt on around it so less likely that it would happen

[@DDanV]

Moral of the story is: if you have enough south facing roof to install all the panels you need - and then some - than do it, else if you can't fulfill all your needs - and then some - with only south facing and are ok with installing north facing panels that will have about 45 to 65% penalty on production then go for it as well. Strickly thinking about ROI, it's not worth it (even less worth it with a battery, the break even is set so far into the future - specially with a Tesla Powerwall, the price it's just ridiculous, you pay an efty premium for what little extra benefits it provides - that by the time you reach break even you'll be needing a new battery). But if you are thinking about not having to care for any energy bills that might set you back financially for the forciable future then go for it, you will change your habits of comsumption and you'll see your electrict consumption go thru the roof (mine did when I got my pv and battery installed).

[@BlackCountryLad]

Excellent video. How much saving would the new Tesla Powerwall 3 or the upcoming Givenergy All in One with builtin inverter save on a similar installation to this? Would their be a saving on installation too?

[@PazLeBon]

Musk m8 , boooo

[@ursodermatt8809]

and! in overcast the north and south facing arrays make exactly the same amount of electricity production. and magnetic north pole does not mean much. also the earth has a wobble and varies about an hour, at least where i live. (from equinox to equinox)

[@rik061119]

Annual hours of light isn't that bad

[@diegojines-us9pc]

my roof is due east-west. and a salesman came by trying to tell me it was perfect roof for solar. then i asked didn't it mean facing E-W mean i had to pay for double insulation prices to get full sun. and didn't have many answers after that and left. and since solar panels only produce 23% of usable sunlight, are you saying north only produces half that at full cost?

[@grantmidd]

Not reflected but refracted.

[@OvalRenewables]

I’m no scientist 😂

[@grantmidd]

@@OvalRenewables But you are an Engineer. Tut tut.

[@marckaluza4559]

More than worth in my opinion. Looking at Jan 1, 2024 to Dec 14, 2024 on my system with an orientation of 4 deg off due south) 10 panels North, 10 panels South, (N&S mirror imageed) 4 panels East ( x3 on main roof and one on single extension) and 1 panel West (Single extension *very shaded). Total Production 6600. South 3560 @ 54% of total. North 2020 / 31%. East 1029 / 16% and West 160 / 3%. My North panels generate 57% of what the south panels do. 2025 project....add some "wall" mounted panels on the East elevation and add another battery) I Would reccomend fitting North panels for sure

[@PazLeBon]

one would just use bifacials surely

[@OvalRenewables]

These weren’t bi facial but they are more common now.

[@PazLeBon]

@@OvalRenewables yeah sure, seem a good option and srtill lower priced than a regular panel from a cple of years ago, good direction things are going

[@DanielEarlester]

I would never get north facing panels in the northern hemisphere.

[@OvalRenewables]

Why?

[@rhiantaylor3446]

So the argument is that the best return comes from S facing panels but, while N facing panels only add 54% as much power, if they are added to the S array at time of installation, their incremental cost is lower than what would have been the cost of just the initial S array which makes the payback return for the N panels better than you had expected. This might have been easier to explain if you had put numbers against the cost of installing just the S array and then of the S + N arrangement you actually installed.

[@OvalRenewables]

To be honest that argument is a lot harder to make around costs. As each job costs different amounts, access and equipment are different on each job. I wanted to put this video out just based on generation so people could take some figures and get quotes for possibly including north facing panel and do their own calculations based of the %’s in the video. If I had put costs to it then it would have helped to see if this job in particular would have been worth north panels but not any others. Also the customer didn’t want me to share the costs of the job.

[@edc1569]

I can import electricity for 6-7p/kwh off peak, I guess if the north array cost less than £1500 it makes sense over battery.

[@paulhealey2984]

Short answer is no they don't. Well maybe 20%.

[@stephencrowther524]

Lots of words which could have been summed up in 2 minutes !😂

[@kc2hwv]

Here im brazil works fine .. 😂😂😂 every case needs to be studied before saying.

[@ascot4000]

Another way of looking at it is that these modern panels produce more on a north facing roof that older panels would have achieved when facing south. It would have been good to show the seasonal variation on the panels between north and south aspects as I am sure the bell curve would be different shape. Bi-facials seem to add some additional benefit on a north facing roof too.

[@Fester_]

Very cool.