SOLAR ORIENTATION: US
Which way should solar panels face in the US?
South. On a 23° roof, about a 5/12 pitch, south facing panels make between 1,330 and 1,780 kWh per kW a year across the cities below. East and west facing panels make 82% to 91% of that, and north facing panels 63% to 78% at the same tilt. The tool below starts on Los Angeles; search your own address to model your roof.
| City | South, per kW a year | East | West | North at 23° | North at 5° | Best tilt facing south |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 1,687 kWh | 83% | 87% | 67% | 84% | 32° |
| San Diego | 1,746 kWh | 84% | 87% | 68% | 85% | 30° |
| Las Vegas | 1,763 kWh | 84% | 83% | 63% | 82% | 35° |
| Honolulu | 1,782 kWh | 90% | 91% | 78% | 92% | 21° |
| San Antonio | 1,407 kWh | 87% | 88% | 72% | 88% | 28° |
| New York | 1,333 kWh | 84% | 82% | 63% | 81% | 37° |
| Phoenix | 1,777 kWh | 84% | 84% | 65% | 83% | 34° |
| San Jose | 1,677 kWh | 82% | 85% | 64% | 83% | 34° |
Modelled AC output at 23° unless stated, from a typical weather year for each city centre (PVGIS data, 2005–2023), 14% system losses plus inverter losses, no shading. East, west and north are shown as a share of south. Click a city to open the tool there. Honolulu is probably about 10% high: the global weather dataset behind these numbers struggles with small islands, and NREL’s PVWatts puts a south facing 23° system there at about 1,610 kWh per kW. The percentages are much less affected.
Is east or west better in the US?
In most of the US there is not much in it. Across these cities east and west facing panels at 23° make 82% to 91% of a south facing roof. West comes out ahead in Los Angeles, San Diego and San Jose, where the afternoons in a typical weather year are sunnier than the mornings. East comes out ahead in New York. The bigger difference is timing.
On a clear summer day in Los Angeles, east facing panels peak around 10:30, south facing around 12:00 and west facing around 13:30 (local standard time, so add an hour for daylight saving). If most of your power is used in the late afternoon and evening, west facing panels match that better than the annual totals suggest.
Are north facing solar panels worth it in the US?
Often, yes, as long as they are not steep. In Los Angeles north facing panels at 23° make about 67% of a south facing roof, but laid flatter at 5° they make about 84%. Across all eight cities that flatter north layout makes 81% to 92% of south.
Panels are cheap now. According to EnergySage, residential systems average about $2.60 per watt before incentives in 2026. Spread over 25 years, north facing panels in Los Angeles work out to roughly 8c per kWh at 5° and 10c per kWh at 23°. Grid power costs about 18c per kWh for the average US home in 2026, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. So north facing panels pay their way on any power you use yourself. How much exported power is worth depends on your state and utility, so check your net metering or export rate before counting on it.
The catch is the season. In summer (June to August) north facing panels at 23° make 87% to 108% of what south facing ones do, but in winter (December to February) that drops to 26% to 46%. In Honolulu, which sits inside the tropics, north facing panels actually beat south facing ones in summer. Put a north layout into the tool at your real roof pitch to see exactly what it adds.
What is the best tilt for solar panels in the US?
Facing south, the tilt that makes the most energy over a year ranges from 21° in Honolulu to 37° in New York. Compared with a 23° roof, about a 5/12 pitch, the gain is at most about 3%. In other words, use the roof pitch you have. The Solar Panel Angle Calculator shows the full picture for any direction and tilt.
How much does solar output drop in winter?
South facing panels make 56% to 88% as much energy in winter (December to February) as in summer (June to August). The swing is biggest in San Jose (56%) and smallest in Honolulu (88%). Winter is the rainy season in coastal California, so San Jose and Los Angeles drop almost as much as New York, while Phoenix and Honolulu barely change.
Where do these numbers come from?
The cities are the eight US cities with the most installed solar in the Shining Cities 2022 survey by Environment America and Frontier Group (source). Each one is modelled with the same engine as the Solar Panel Orientation Comparison, using a typical meteorological year from PVGIS, the solar database run by the European Commission Joint Research Centre. Every hour of the year is worked through for each panel direction, then reduced for panel heat, 14% system losses and a 96% efficient inverter. Your own roof will differ with shading, panel brand and exact location, so treat these as a guide rather than a quote.
Other countries
See the same comparison for the UK, or Australian cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and more.
Common questions
Which direction is best for solar panels in the US?
South. On a 23 degree roof, about a 5/12 pitch, south facing panels make about 1,330 to 1,780 kWh per kW a year across major US cities. East and west facing panels make around 82% to 91% of that.
Are north facing solar panels worth it in the US?
Often, if they are fairly flat. At 5 degrees north facing panels make 81% to 92% of a south facing roof, and at current prices that energy costs roughly 8c per kWh over 25 years, well below grid prices. At steep pitches and in winter the output drops a lot.
Are east west solar panels worth it in the US?
Usually. East and west facing panels make 82% to 91% of a south facing roof and spread output across the morning and afternoon, which suits homes that use power outside the middle of the day.
What angle should solar panels be in the US?
Facing south, the best annual tilt ranges from about 21 to 37 degrees across major US cities, but a typical roof pitch gets within about 2% of that, so extra framing rarely pays.
Need monitoring for your solar system?
These numbers show what a roof in the US should make. PV Fleet checks whether yours actually does. It connects to the inverter monitoring you already have, works out what each system should be producing and alerts you within hours when something goes wrong.