fred wrote

I'm looking at solar powered pir outdoor leds.
Does the solar panel have to face the sun or is
sky view sufficient. ( Id need to make up a
bracket to allow the panel face south)

Not possible to give an absolute answer, it depends
on the design, the area of the panel and the power
consumption of the system, and how often it is triggered.

Plenty of the commercial ones dont work right thru
the night so it works first thing in the morning when
its still dark, even with the panel facing south etc.