Which Direction Should a Balcony Solar Panel Face?

Which direction should a balcony solar panel face? South, if you want the most kWh a year, with southeast and southwest close behind. If you use most of your power in the morning or evening, east or west can be the better pick even though it makes less in total.

For tilt, about 30 to 40 degrees toward the south gets close to the maximum in most of the US. A panel hung flat on the railing makes about two-thirds of that, but holds up well in winter.

The figures below come from my runs of the European Commission’s PVGIS calculator for an 800 W kit in New York City, including 11 years of hourly data.

Which direction should a balcony solar panel face?

A balcony solar panel should face south for the highest yearly output, and southeast or southwest lose only about 5% to 12%. East and west lose more, and north loses the most. Germany’s Environment Agency (UBA) says south gives the best yields but east or west are also possible.

Here’s how much an 800 W kit made a year in New York City, by direction and mounting:

Direction	Tilted 35°, kWh	% of south	Vertical railing, kWh	% of vertical south
South	1,074	100%	725	100%
Southeast	1,023	95.3%	694	95.8%
Southwest	985	91.8%	640	88.3%
East	858	79.9%	523	72.2%
West	811	75.5%	465	64.1%
North	547	50.9%	161	22.3%

How this was made: PVGIS 5.2, its PVGIS-NSRDB database (weather years 2005 to 2015), 800 W of crystalline panels and a 14% system loss, run on October 28, 2026. The percentages are by my math. For yearly output in six US cities, see how much power a balcony solar panel produces.

One pattern matters on a railing: a vertical panel punishes a bad direction harder. Tilted, west keeps 75.5% of south’s output; hung vertically, it keeps 64.1%.

When each direction makes its power

Each balcony direction makes its power at a different time of day: east-facing panels front-load the morning and west-facing panels push output into the late afternoon. Yearly totals hide that timing.

I summed 11 years of hourly PVGIS output for New York City by clock hour, including daylight saving time:

Panel	Before 9 a.m., kWh/yr	After 5 p.m., kWh/yr	Share of the year’s output after 4 p.m.
South, tilted 35°	43	65	13.0%
Southeast, tilted 35°	88	32	7.5%
Southwest, tilted 35°	17	108	20.4%
East, tilted 35°	103	28	6.6%
West, tilted 35°	17	123	26.6%
South, vertical	27	25	9.3%
East, vertical	122	13	4.6%
Southwest, vertical	7	95	27.2%
West, vertical	7	123	42.9%

By my math, a vertical west panel makes about 5 times the after-5 p.m. power of a vertical south one, and a vertical east panel makes about 4.45 times its power before 9 a.m. A vertical west railing also matches a tilted west bracket after 5 p.m., because the low evening sun hits a vertical panel almost head-on.

Match the direction to when you use power

The best direction for a balcony solar panel is the one that makes power while your home is using it. Germany’s economy ministry says households that use most power in the mornings and evenings often do better facing east or west.

Timing matters because exported power is often worth nothing. Maine’s LD 1730 gives no credit for exported power, and Vermont’s S.202 doesn’t pay for it either. The UBA estimates that a German household uses about 45 percent of a vertical kit’s output at the same time it’s made, without a battery.

A real example: take a renter in New York City who leaves at 8 a.m. and gets home at 6 p.m. During the day, only the fridge, router and standby loads use solar power. A west railing makes 465 kWh a year, against 725 kWh for a south railing, but 42.9% of the west panel’s output arrives after 4 p.m. That can leave the two closer in real savings than the totals suggest.

To see how the share you use at home changes the payback, try our balcony solar calculator. It takes that share as an input. Treat its result as an upper estimate: it runs 9-16% above PVGIS.

Southeast and southwest: the near-south compromise

Southeast and southwest balconies are nearly as good as south: in New York City they made 95.3% and 91.8% of a south panel’s yearly output at a 35° tilt. They also shift some power toward the morning or evening.

A tilted southwest panel made 108 kWh after 5 p.m., against 65 kWh facing due south, while giving up about 8% of the yearly total. Southeast did the same for mornings, at 88 kWh before 9 a.m. against 43.

You can also split a kit. Bavaria’s energy agency C.A.R.M.E.N. suggests pointing two modules southeast and two southwest to make more power in the morning and evening. It adds that all modules on one MPP tracker of the inverter must share the same direction and tilt.

What angle should balcony solar panels be at?

Balcony solar panels facing south should sit at about 30 to 40 degrees in most of the US. Germany’s economy ministry gives 30 to 35 degrees for Germany.

An 800 W south-facing kit in New York City, at different tilts:

Tilt	kWh a year	% of the best tilt (37°)
0° (flat)	909	84.6%
15°	1,016	94.6%
25°	1,057	98.4%
30°	1,068	99.5%
40°	1,073	99.9%
50°	1,052	98.0%
60°	1,006	93.7%
90° (vertical)	725	67.5%

By my math, anything from 25 to 50 degrees lands within 2% of the best. The big drops come from going very flat or fully vertical.

Optimal tilt by latitude

The classic rule says to tilt a south-facing panel at your latitude, and NREL’s PVWatts manual uses site latitude as its default tilt. In real US weather, the best tilt is often a little lower, and much lower in cloudy northern cities.

PVGIS will work out the best yearly tilt for any spot. For six cities:

City	Latitude	PVGIS best tilt
Miami, FL	25.8°	25°
Phoenix, AZ	33.4°	33°
Los Angeles, CA	34.1°	32°
Denver, CO	39.7°	38°
New York City, NY	40.7°	37°
Seattle, WA	47.6°	37°

A UC San Diego study by Lave and Kleissl, using NREL’s solar radiation data, found the best tilt and direction varied by up to 10 degrees from the latitude rule. It says cloudiness, not only latitude, sets the optimum. That fits Seattle: by my math, tilting to its latitude cost about 1.3% against the PVGIS best.

Tilt options on a balcony: railing, bracket or floor stand

A balcony gives you three practical tilt options: a panel hung vertically on the railing, an angled bracket on the railing, or a floor stand on a terrace or flat roof.

Vertical on the railing (90°). The simplest and lowest-profile mount, at about two-thirds of tilted output in New York City. Germany’s Verbraucherzentrale calls vertical mounting on the outside of a balcony parapet especially sensible.
Angled railing bracket. These brackets hold the panel out at an angle. As of January 2026, the vendor LinkSolar says tilt is often around 20-40 degrees. C.A.R.M.E.N. says some tilt beats vertical.
Floor stand. For terraces and flat roofs, C.A.R.M.E.N. lists ground stands weighted with paving slabs. Use at least the maker’s minimum ballast.

Never set a stand behind the parapet. C.A.R.M.E.N. calls that unsuitable, because partial shade cuts the yield sharply. For clamps, hooks and wind loads, read how to mount solar panels on a balcony railing without drilling.

How the seasons change the best tilt

The seasons change the best balcony panel tilt because the sun sits low in winter and high in summer. A steep or vertical panel catches low winter sun, while a flatter one catches high summer sun. The UBA notes that vertical railing panels give lower yields in summer but somewhat better ones in winter.

In New York City the swing is large:

Winter (November to February): vertical south made 274 kWh, 35° made 278 kWh and 60° made 306 kWh. A flat-ish 15° made only 223 kWh.
Summer (May to August): vertical south made just 190 kWh, against 419 kWh at 35° and 441 kWh at 15°.
December alone: the vertical panel (63 kWh) beat the 35° panel (60 kWh).

If your bracket adjusts, steepen it in winter and lower it in summer. Earlier studies cited by Lave and Kleissl put seasonal optimums up to 15 degrees from latitude. If you can’t adjust it, a fixed 30 to 40 degrees is the safe middle.

Is a north-facing balcony worth it?

A north-facing balcony is rarely worth a solar panel, because it gets little direct sun. In New York City, a vertical north panel made 161 kWh a year, by my math just 15.0% of a tilted south panel.

Tilting a north panel to 35° raised it to 547 kWh, but most of that came from May to August. Virginia Tech’s Saifur Rahman says his savings estimate won’t hold for a north-facing balcony, as Virginia Tech News reports. If you face north, look at whether balcony solar is worth it for you before buying.

How to check your balcony’s direction and shade

You can check your balcony’s direction in a few minutes with a phone compass and PVGIS.

Take a compass reading. Hold your phone flat against the railing, facing out, and note the heading. South is 180° on a compass.
Watch the shade. Check the spot in the morning, at midday and in the late afternoon. The UBA warns that even partial shade can reduce yield significantly.
Run PVGIS. Choose the PVGIS-NSRDB database, your panel watts, 14% loss, your tilt and your direction. PVGIS uses 0 for south, -90 for east and 90 for west.
Compare two setups. Try your railing at 90° and a bracket at 35° to see what tilting would buy you.

For the full setup, from lease checks to outlets, see how to install balcony solar panels.

My take, and the limits of this data

My take: don’t chase due south if it means fighting your balcony. If your railing faces east or west and your home is busy in the morning or evening, use that direction. A vertical west railing makes nearly all of a tilted panel’s evening power. If you face south and your landlord allows it, a 30 to 40 degree bracket is the one upgrade worth paying for.

The limit: these numbers are for one city and open sky. PVGIS can’t see the balcony above you or the building across the street, and the hourly split assumes average weather, not your own usage. Use the tables to compare options, then check your kit’s app after a few weeks.

FAQ

Is it better to face balcony solar panels east or west?

It depends on when you use power. In PVGIS runs for New York City, a tilted east panel made 858 kWh a year and a west one 811 kWh. East made about 2.4 times a south panel’s power before 9 a.m., and west about 1.9 times its power after 5 p.m. Pick the side that matches your busy hours.

What angle should I tilt my balcony solar panels?

About 30 to 40 degrees, facing south, in most of the US. PVGIS puts the best yearly tilt at 25 degrees in Miami and 37 to 38 degrees in Denver, New York City and Seattle. In New York City, any tilt from 25 to 50 degrees came within 2% of the best.

Does a vertical balcony solar panel work better in winter?

Almost as well as a tilted one, yes. In New York City, a vertical south panel made 274 kWh from November to February, against 278 kWh at 35 degrees. In summer it falls far behind: 190 kWh against 419 kWh from May to August.

Is a north-facing balcony worth solar panels?

Rarely. A vertical north panel in New York City made 161 kWh a year in PVGIS, 15% of what a tilted south panel made. Tilted 35 degrees it reached about half, mostly in summer.