12-28-2013, 06:31 PM
My roof has about a 15 degree slope and that slope faces about 20 degrees east of south, so I have spent considerable time rationalizing how Eden Roc tends to get the best sun before lunch, and when cloudy it is better to have the panels flat. In other words, no.
Now while I may be rationalizing that doesn't mean I am completely wrong. It is in fact true that the best angle for panels to be at when the sky is overcast is completely flat since the light is coming uniformly from all directions. The bottom line is that with today's prices for panels it is better to buy more panels than a tracker. This would be particularly true here in Puna where the cloud cover is so variable.
Now while I may be rationalizing that doesn't mean I am completely wrong. It is in fact true that the best angle for panels to be at when the sky is overcast is completely flat since the light is coming uniformly from all directions. The bottom line is that with today's prices for panels it is better to buy more panels than a tracker. This would be particularly true here in Puna where the cloud cover is so variable.