[math-fun] best tilt angle for solar panel

Suppose you are on an airless spherical earth. You've got a flat solar panel and can put it facing at angle Q to the ground (and toward the equator of course). Assume Q is fixed, you cannot have a swiveling panel which changes orientation during the day. What is the best value of Q, maximizing the amount of solar energy hitting the panel, as a function of your latitude L and the Earth's axial tile angle A=23.4 degrees? You might naively imagine Q=L is best. -- Warren D. Smith http://RangeVoting.org <-- add your endorsement (by clicking "endorse" as 1st step)