Any amount of shade on your solar panels can greatly affect the performance of your system. Even partial or mottled shading for short periods of the day can impact your solar system’s output.
If only one cell (out of the standard 60 cells) in one of the solar panels is shaded, the overall performance of your system can drop by upwards of 40%. Similarly to a kink in a hose, if the current flowing through your solar panels is interrupted by a shaded cell, the end output is stifled.
The video above illustrates a great example of how shading can impact the performance of your solar system.
When installing a new solar system, it’s imperative that it is installed away from anything that may cast a shadow on the panels – regardless of how small the shadow(s) may be. An example of things that may cast a shadow are:
1. Trees/bushes
2. Roof antennae or satellite dishes
3. Houses or buildings next door
4. Electricity poles
5. Air conditioning units
In the event that partial shading is completely unavoidable on your roof, the use of micro-inverters and/or optimisers may be the best option to ensure you get the most output from your solar system. Micro-inverters and/or optimisers can reduce the impact of shading by upwards of 30%. However, as a result the overall cost of your system can increase by up to 20%. Therefore, it’s important that you speak with a Broker to determine what the best possible system and add-ons are for you.
To speak with one of our expert solar Brokers about your energy needs, you can request a callback here.
