Partial Shade Solar Panel

Perhaps most obviously trees near your solar array can cause shading issues.

Partial shade solar panel.

Thanks to this updated technology the amount of shade eclipsing the solar panel is now directly proportional to the amount of energy production the solar panel loses. A shadow cast on even just part of one solar panel in your solar array can potentially compromise the output of the whole system. Crystalline silicon solar panels feature square compact cells whereas amorphous silicon panels feature larger area cells. There are two approaches that manufacturers take to build solar panels that work better in partial shade conditions like this.

Two devices on the market can reduce the impact of partial shade. For example if 20 of the panel is shaded at a certain time of day the panel products 20 less energy than when it s in full sun. The main reason that amorphous silicon solar panels perform much better in the shade has to do with the way cells are laid out. This physical difference makes it far more difficult to shade an entire cell.

But both devices can modify the characteristics of the power as it leaves a shaded panel so that it does not reduce the output of panels down the line. Many residential properties are situated in green spaces and constantly growing trees and foliage can encroach on solar panel setups. Shade on your solar panels can come from several sources. The purpose of a bypass diode is to allow electricity in a solar panel to flow around the shaded cell.

What fewer people understand however is just how important it is to avoid shading as much as possible.