Solar Nerd articles about: Shading

Half-cut solar panels are one of the latest manufacturing innovations to improve solar panel efficiency. A half-cut solar panel is the same size as a standard panel, but the solar cells have been sawn in half then wired together in a way that allows the panel to be more efficient, especially in the shade. This doubles the number of cells and internal connections: a typical solar panel might have 60 cells, while a half-cut panel would have 120 cells.

One of the important things that determine if your home solar panels will be successful is whether they are clear of shade throughout the day. Even in locations that aren’t traditionally thought of as being good for solar, if your property has a clear view of the sun throughout the day, solar panels can generate enough power to provide 100% of your electricity needs. But if shade blocks your solar panels for even part of the day, that can have a drastic impact on your energy production.

If you want to get the maximum performance out of solar panels, it’s important that they have full sun for as much of the day as possible. One of the most common issues that a homeowner will face when deciding whether to install solar panels is dealing with shading from nearby trees. This is a particular problem if shadows fall on any south-facing section of your roof in the middle of the day when power production is at its peak.

Low light conditions are a normal situation that solar panels are well designed to handle. Whether it’s cloudy, rainy, or simply early in the morning or late in the afternoon, you should expect your solar panels to continue to generate power. The power output of your solar panels will drop, but with most panels the decrease is fairly linear. That is, if the sunlight drops by half, with most panels the output will also drop by about half.