Find the optimal panel tilt angle for a latitude and season.
The optimal annual tilt is somewhat shallower than latitude because summer sun is stronger and lasts longer. Yield falls roughly with the square of the deviation, so being within ten degrees costs almost nothing. Because the penalty curve is flat near the optimum, matching an existing roof pitch is usually better than the cost and appearance of tilt frames.
Solar Tilt Angle
Annual optimal tilt ≈ 0.76 × latitude + 3.1 degrees
Annual optimal tilt ≈ 0.76 × latitude + 3.1 degrees The optimal annual tilt is somewhat shallower than latitude because summer sun is stronger and lasts longer. Yield falls roughly with the square of the deviation, so being within ten degrees costs almost nothing.
Because the penalty curve is flat near the optimum, matching an existing roof pitch is usually better than the cost and appearance of tilt frames.
This calculator takes 3 inputs: Site latitude, Optimisation target, Current or proposed tilt. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.