Imagine if you threw a pebble at a smooth lake surface. At a very low angle, it may skip across the surface (reflection). If you throw a pebble down at a 45 degree angle to the lake, it likely will go right into the water. Sunlight is made up of photons, microscopic packets. Think of it as millions of pebbles, but energy, not stone. Energy can pass through glass, although not perfectly. The least portion of energy is lost when it hits the glass at a right angle.
The optimum angle can be maintained using a motorized tracking device. For a panel that will be fixed in place, it should be at the same angle as the latitude of the location. For instance, Antioch, California has a latitude of 38 degrees, so the panels should be fixed at a 38 degree angle to horizontal. Then for much of the year, the sunlight will strike the panels at about 90 degrees.
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Because there are very few places where the sun is directly overhead. Go outside at noon. If the sun is directly overhead and you're in North America then you must be somewhere in central Mexico. Everywhere north of central Mexico the sun is hitting the ground at an angle. You need to match the angle of the panel with the angle that the sun is hitting the ground at so they come together as if the panel was laying flat in central Mexico.
Solar panels have to at an angle because the tilt angle. Two things: when the panel is tilted you get more light reflected off the surface, so you are losing some energy that way. Also, when the panel is tilted it is intersecting less sunlight - look at the shadow of the panel when it is tilted, it is smaller, which means that you are not capturing as much light.
1. The angle varies with where the panel is located.
2. The best angle is the one that lets the sun strike the panel at 90 degrees, as this is the most efficient angle.
They don't HAVE to be at an angle, but work better when angled so that on average, the panel is pointed most directly at the sun.
so that sunlight could directly hit the panel n can be charged nicely.thus it will have enough heat to produce energy
I've made a topic about this before. I think you will need to read it. I've left the link .
in science we are learning about energy and today we were doing heat energy solar energy and electric energy. my teacher told us but i didn't understand why it has to be at an angle. i feel like i should learn it because it might come up in my exam. just sayn i am in grade 8
