Asset managers should always require a full shade analysis at the onset of any project. A shade analysis will bring you to a clear understanding of what your plant should actually produce throughout the year and rule out some of the guess work when it comes to ROI numbers and performance. We have also found that folding these analytics into your data sets can save you time on reporting as well. This test looks at such losses as tall tree lines and landscape features that cause losses.
The above images are of data generated from a Solmetric SunEye shade measurement tool, each image representing a different location. The image on the left is an example of a location with poor solar access and a large amount of obstructions causing shading. While the image on the right is an example of a location with excellent solar access with virtually no objects overshadowing the area.