Angle vs Shade

JBlackham
JBlackham Registered Users Posts: 1 ✭
in General Solar Power Topics #1
What is worse for a solar panel .  A bad angle or shading?

I have always wondered this and I think its shading.  As a bad angle still gets the sunlight.  Can someone please answer this?
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  • Mountain Don
    Mountain Don Solar Expert Posts: 494 ✭✭✭
    edited October 2015 #2
    Shade is worse.   I don't even bother changing the vertical angle any more. It's set for winter optimum and summer has so much sun it seems to make little if any difference.  YMMV.  Being a little over paneled can also help with reducing the concern about exact angles. Panels are cheap enough to do that these days. 
    Northern NM, 624 watts PV, The Kid CC, GC-2 batteries @ 24 VDC, Outback VFX3524M
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  • vtmaps
    vtmaps Solar Expert Posts: 3,741 ✭✭✭✭
    #3
    JBlackham said:
    What is worse for a solar panel .  A bad angle or shading?

    I have always wondered this and I think its shading.  As a bad angle still gets the sunlight.  Can someone please answer this?
    Partial shading of a panel in bright sunlight is probably the worst because that is the circumstance that burns out the bypass diodes.

    --vtMaps
    4 X 235watt Samsung, Midnite ePanel, Outback VFX3524 FM60 & mate, 4 Interstate L16, trimetric, Honda eu2000i
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