Installing a solar panel is easy, you just take it outside, point it up in the sky, and voila! you are now pumping “free” power into your house or outdoor appliances… OK, it’s not quite that simple. There are wiring considerations that need to be figured out, and you need to actually install it on a secure base so it’s facing the sun as directly as possible, angled toward the equator.
Per this writeup, this angle should be roughly equal to your latitude plus 15 degrees during the winter and minus 15 degrees during the summer. What about the sun’s east-west position? Wouldn’t you want it to face this ball of energy as it tracks along the sky during the day?
For an easy way to get it to face the correct direction, you might check out Plantboss’ Solar Tracker. It comes with an IP66 grade case, and outputs 12V to your solar panel actuator. According to the product listing, there’s no configuration required, just place the sensor correctly and it does the rest. The actuator itself isn’t normally included, but can be added as an option if required.
As for what this kind of setup might look like, here’s an unrelated video of a panel array finding the sun’s position.
