{"id":4668,"date":"2017-01-19T16:13:21","date_gmt":"2017-01-19T21:13:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/solartechnology.com\/?p=4668"},"modified":"2017-01-19T16:13:21","modified_gmt":"2017-01-19T21:13:21","slug":"ilt-rotate-solar-arrays-vs-fixed-arrays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/solartechnology.com\/staging\/2017\/01\/ilt-rotate-solar-arrays-vs-fixed-arrays\/","title":{"rendered":"BEFORE YOU BUY:  When to choose Tilt and Rotate Solar Arrays, and when to choose Fixed Arrays"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When configuring your solar-powered Message or Arrow Boards, consider carefully if adding fixed solar arrays is better, or if tilt and rotate solar panels might be a better choice.<\/p>\n<p>In general, we\u2019re finding that tilt and rotate solar arrays are preferable in northern latitudes. We\u2019ve found that a 160 watt tilt and rotate array (when tilted to the south) actually preforms better than a 240 watt flat array.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4670\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4670\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4670 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/solartechnology.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/TiltRotateSolarArray.jpg\" alt=\"TiltRotateSolarArray\" width=\"300\" height=\"265\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4670\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tilt and Array Solar Panels<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Here are conditions that affect how efficiently your board will hold a charge:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Temperature<\/strong> \u2013 cold weather can significantly reduce a battery\u2019s capacity<\/li>\n<li><strong>Time of Year<\/strong> \u2013 In winter, the angle of the sun is lower, so sunlight strikes fixed solar arrays at a more oblique angle and for fewer hours<\/li>\n<li><strong>Amount of Daylight<\/strong> \u2013 shorter minutes of sunshine mean less time to charge batteries<\/li>\n<li><strong>Winter Weather<\/strong> \u2013 snow accumulation of the panels will block solar energy collection<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Our southern customers are blessed with more moderate temperatures, a higher sun angle and fewer overcast days, making fixed solar panels a logical choice. For customers in the rest of the country, consider using tilt and rotate panels for higher efficiency.<\/p>\n<p>Like all good things, proper use is essential. Tilt the arrays to the south for the best result, and clear ice and snow promptly.<\/p>\n<p>Have questions? Our sales staff is just a phone call away. Ask what\u2019s the best choice for you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When configuring your solar-powered Message or Arrow Boards, consider carefully if adding fixed solar arrays is better, or if tilt and rotate solar panels might be a better choice. In general, we\u2019re finding that tilt and rotate solar arrays are preferable in northern latitudes. We\u2019ve found that a 160 watt tilt and rotate array (when [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_swt_meta_header_display":false,"_swt_meta_footer_display":false,"_swt_meta_site_title_display":false,"_swt_meta_sticky_header":false,"_swt_meta_transparent_header":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[16,103,29,102],"class_list":["post-4668","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-product-news","tag-arrow-boards","tag-confidurations","tag-message-board","tag-solar-array"],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Heidi","author_link":"https:\/\/solartechnology.com\/staging\/author\/solar-technology-2\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"When configuring your solar-powered Message or Arrow Boards, consider carefully if adding fixed solar arrays is better, or if tilt and rotate solar panels might be a better choice. In general, we\u2019re finding that tilt and rotate solar arrays are preferable in northern latitudes. We\u2019ve found that a 160 watt tilt and rotate array (when&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/solartechnology.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4668","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/solartechnology.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/solartechnology.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/solartechnology.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/solartechnology.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4668"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/solartechnology.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4668\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/solartechnology.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4668"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/solartechnology.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4668"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/solartechnology.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4668"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}