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Solar Shading Loss Calculator

Work out solar shading loss instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Solar Shading Loss Calculator

A tilted row casts a shadow of length equal to its vertical rise divided by the tangent of the solar altitude. If that shadow plus the row's own horizontal footprint exceeds the pitch, the next row is shaded. Designers usually accept shading below a critical altitude of 15-25 degrees, since little energy is available then.

Formulas

Shadow length

Shadow = collector height x sin(tilt) / tan(solar altitude)

No-shading pitch

Minimum pitch = shadow length + collector height x cos(tilt)

Worked example

With the default values below, Solar Shading Loss Calculator returns Shaded Fraction Of Collector of 0.000%. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Row Pitchminimum 0.01 m
6 m
Collector Slope Heightminimum 0.01 m
2.3 m
Module Tiltaccepts 0–90 degrees
25 degrees
Critical Solar Altitudeaccepts 0.1–90 degrees
20 degrees

Results

Shaded Fraction Of Collector
0.000%
Shadow Length On Ground
2.671
Ground Coverage Ratio
34.74
Pitch Needed To Avoid Shading
4.755

Step by step

  1. 1Values used
  2. 2Shadow length
  3. 3No-shading pitch
  4. 4Shaded Fraction Of Collector= 0.000
  5. 5Shadow Length On Ground= 2.671
  6. 6Ground Coverage Ratio= 34.74
  7. 7Pitch Needed To Avoid Shading= 4.755

Assumptions and limits

  • The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
  • In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
  • Figures are rounded for display to 3 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does even partial shading cost so much output?

Series-connected cells are limited by the weakest cell, so shading one module row can suppress a whole string. Module-level bypass diodes and string layout parallel to row direction limit the damage.

What critical solar altitude should be used?

Commonly the altitude at 9 am on the winter solstice, or a fixed 15-25 degrees. Requiring zero shading at all times leads to uneconomically wide spacing.

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