East-west solar roof in Germany 2026: what the orientation costs
An east-west roof at 30° pitch produces 81 % of what the same system yields facing south. The flatter the roof, the smaller the gap: at 10° it is 92 %.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
South roof or east-west roof: yield and self-use
East-west compared with south
81 %
| Yield south / east-west | 10,523 kWh / 8,479 kWh |
| Self-use south / east-west | 15 % / 18 % |
| Benefit per year south / east-west | €1,240 / €1,086 |
A pitched roof whose faces point east and west gets morning sun on one half and afternoon sun on the other. At midday the light hits both faces at an angle. That is why a 10 kWp system split evenly between east and west produces 8,479 kWh a year at the German average at 30° pitch according to PVGIS, against 10,523 kWh facing south. The gap depends heavily on the pitch: at 10°, east-west reaches 92 % of the south yield, at 45° only 76 %. Two effects narrow the gap in money terms. Output is spread more evenly over the day, so the self-consumption share rises from 15 % to 18 %. And the midday peak is flatter, so the 60 per cent feed-in cap for new systems without a smart meter costs only 85 instead of 294 kWh. On balance, with 4,000 kWh of consumption, east-west brings in €1,086 a year and south €1,240.
Two roof halves instead of one main direction
A south roof concentrates its output in the midday hours. An east-west roof splits it: the east face delivers from sunrise to late morning, the west face from early afternoon into the evening. At noon the rays hit both faces at an angle, so the day lacks a tall peak. For the annual total that is a drawback, for the household not necessarily: breakfast, cooking and laundry tend to happen in the morning and evening rather than at lunchtime.
The figures on this page come from PVGIS for the German average. An east-west system is counted as half east face, half west face, and self-consumption comes from a quarter-hour simulation using the HTW Berlin load profiles. The value for your location is in the yield by postcode tool.
Roof pitch decides the gap
| Pitch | South | East-west | East-west as % of south | Self-use south / east-west |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10° | 9,768 kWh | 8,971 kWh | 92 % | 16 % / 18 % |
| 15° | 10,012 kWh | 8,862 kWh | 89 % | 16 % / 18 % |
| 20° | 10,256 kWh | 8,754 kWh | 85 % | 15 % / 18 % |
| 30° | 10,523 kWh | 8,479 kWh | 81 % | 15 % / 18 % |
| 45° | 10,451 kWh | 7,907 kWh | 76 % | 15 % / 19 % |
Facing south, a 30° pitch is close to the optimum, and steeper or flatter loses little. On an east-west roof, by contrast, pitch acts almost linearly: each extra degree turns the faces further away from the midday sun. That explains why low east-west frames are common on flat roofs. They barely shade each other and can be placed side by side, so more capacity fits on the same area than with steep south-facing rows that need wide gaps.
Where east-west catches up
The 60 per cent cap bites less often
For new systems without a smart meter, section 9(2) EEG caps feed-in at 60 % of rated output. A south roof crosses that line for hours on clear summer days; an east-west roof rarely reaches it because of its flat curve. At 30° and 10 kWp, the south system loses 294 kWh a year and the east-west system 85 kWh. So east-west is the orientation least affected by the new rule; more under solar peak law.
A higher share used at home
At 30°, the self-consumption share rises from 15.1 % to 18.2 %. In kilowatt-hours there is no gain, though: 1,543 against 1,586 kWh. The share rises because the denominator, total output, is smaller. Exports are 6,852 instead of 8,642 kWh, and that is where the real difference in benefit arises, at the rate set by the Federal Network Agency.
With a battery
An 8 kWh battery lifts the east-west system's self-consumption to 35.8 %, the south system's to 30.9 %. Facing south, the battery fills faster at midday and has more power left for the evening, so the south benefit stays higher, €1,714 against €1,511 a year. How big a battery should be is covered in home battery size.
East-west with a smart meter
With a smart meter the 60 per cent cap goes, but quarter-hours with negative wholesale prices earn nothing. In the model this costs the south system €166 a year and the east-west system €129, for an annual benefit of €1,096 against €964. The model applies the same share of negative-price hours to both orientations. Since negative prices mostly occur on sunny middays, when a south roof delivers most, the real penalty for east-west is probably smaller than calculated here. For an east-west roof that is one more reason to stay without a smart meter: the cap costs it almost nothing.
More panels to compensate
East-west often uses both roof halves, a south roof only one. Fitting two more kWp, a 12 kWp east-west system reaches 10,175 kWh, close to the 10,523 kWh of 10 kWp facing south. Most of the extra output goes to the grid, however, and the rate is lower for the part above 10 kWp: 7.53 ct/kWh on average for the whole system. At an assumed €1,500 per kWp that gives €1,213 a year and payback after 14.8 years. Whether it pays depends mainly on how cheaply the extra panels are quoted; the right size is worked out by how many kWp.
East-only or west-only roof
Not every house has two usable halves. If only one face is available, west has a slight edge at the German average: 8,739 kWh against 8,220 kWh facing east. West also suits a household curve with an evening peak. Plug-in systems on vertical balcony railings follow other rules, see plug-in solar orientation. Your roof with its exact pitch and postcode is calculated by the solar PV calculator.