The Best Angle for Solar Panels Depends on the Latitude

In Missouri and Illinois, the best angle for solar panels is approximately 40 degrees off the horizontal because that is where we are in latitude on the plant – approximately 40 degrees above the equator.

This fact was driven home to us recently when we studied a project for an elementary school in Uganda. They are on the equator (0 degrees latitude). This makes their best angle for solar panels flat.