Debate: Should solar panels face south for max power or east for longer charge time?

Talked to a guy at the hardware store who said he gets 2 extra hours of charge on his garden lights by facing panels east instead of south, but I measured 20% less peak power that way. Which matters more for a small phone charger build - peak watts or hours of collection?

2 comments

2 Comments

alexlewis2d agoMost Upvoted

Flip your thinking and check how much power you actually use during different parts of the day. If you charge your phone mostly in the morning, east gives you power when you need it, even if it's less peak. But if you're topping off in the afternoon, south wins because you're getting more watts when the sun is high. I tested this with a small setup and found that for a phone charger, east worked better for me since I plug in around 9 AM and need enough to get through the day. Try logging your charging times for a week, then decide which angle matches your real habits.

spencer_johnson221d ago

Yeah @alexlewis nailed it. I did the same logging thing and realized I charge my stuff at night, so south would be useless for me.