Catch the sun between the shadows.
See how shade reaches a panel—and changes its output.
A shadow on a panel is the start of the question. Its position, the panel orientation and the electrical connections all affect what the model reports.
Begin with geometry and solar time
The shade-study route opens a cabin setup draft; you can select an RV or balcony in the wizard. Set latitude, front bearing and date, then place trees and edit their height, crown diameter, density and foliage. Inspect several solar times to see how obstruction moves.
Rendered shadows and irradiance samples are separate approximations. A soft or absent drawn shadow in overcast mode does not mean the calculated obstruction is zero. Solar time is not local clock time or daylight-saving time, and the sky presets are not a weather forecast.
Optical loss is not electrical loss
Shade loss (%) compares incident light with an unobstructed panel at the same orientation, time and sky. Its fixed 0–100% scale describes light loss. It is not a percentage of lost electrical power or daily energy.
Use the Live electrical values to inspect the current modeled operating point and a completed Run day to inspect energy. A module's nameplate rating, unshaded potential and delivered output after wiring and conversion limits are distinct quantities.
Wiring changes the response to uneven light
Panels in a series string share current; parallel strings on one MPPT share an operating voltage. A shaded section can therefore affect more than its own patch of cells. Modeled bypass diodes can provide a path around weak sections, with a voltage loss. Idealized optimizers may reduce mismatch but cannot recover missing sunlight.
Connect panels before interpreting delivered output: an unconnected panel contributes zero. The plug-in path supports one panel per independent input and does not support external optimizers. See the connection guide for the supported arrangements and incomplete safety checks.
The circuit model is deliberately generic
Every panel uses three equal series cell sections, with 12 light samples per section and an illustrative bypass-diode drop. Selecting a product changes supported ratings and dimensions, not the internal cell circuit. “Half-cut” does not specify a complete topology.
The model does not reproduce half-cut parallel paths, every manufacturer's diode grouping, hot spots, reverse breakdown or thermal damage. Do not use it to rank named products by validated partial-shade performance. Read the detailed cell layout and bypass explanation.
Keep exploring
Classic Solar Optimizer · Solar Schema · Original training videos