Shading Simulator
The Shading Simulator tab allows you to view system shading for any timestamp in the weather file. Use the time controls to navigate through the year and observe how shadows move across the PV surfaces. The 3D view updates in real-time to show shadow patterns based on sun position.
3D Shade Scene - Shading Simulator
User Inputs (Shading Simulator)
| # | Input | Type | Units | Description | Related Documentation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shading Simulator (Tab) | Tab | — | Currently selected tab. Provides real-time shading visualization for any timestamp in the weather file. The 3D scene shows shadows cast on PV surfaces based on sun position. | — |
| 2 | Heat Map Viewer (Tab) | Tab | — | Navigate to the Heat Map Viewer tab to visualize calculated shading results. Only available after 3D calculations have been completed on the 3D Scene Overview page. | 3D Scene Overview |
| 3 | Month | Dropdown | — | Select the month for the shading simulation. Combined with Day and Hour to define the specific timestamp for visualization. | — |
| 4 | Day | Slider | — | Select the day of the month using the slider or play button. The play button animates through all days of the selected month to show seasonal shading progression. | — |
| 5 | Hour | Slider | — | Select the hour of the day using the slider or play button. The play button animates through all hours to show daily shadow movement from sunrise to sunset. | — |
| 6 | Render Non-PV Object Bounding Box | Checkbox | — | When enabled, displays bounding boxes around non-PV shade objects (trees, buildings, poles, etc.) in the 3D view. Useful for visualizing the effect of bounding boxes on shadow casting. Note - toggling this affects visual rendering only and does not change 3D calculations. | — |
| 7 | Animate Shade Simulation | Button | — | Starts an animated visualization cycling through timestamps to show shadow patterns across the selected time period. Useful for understanding overall shading behavior. | — |
- Sun Zenith — Current solar zenith angle in degrees
- Sun Azimuth — Current solar azimuth angle in degrees
- Tilt Angle — Current tracker tilt angle (for tracking systems)
Heat Map Viewer
The Heat Map Viewer tab displays calculated shading results as color-coded heat maps overlaid on PV surfaces. Four different metrics can be visualized, each showing DNI-weighted annual results. The color scale can be toggled between Absolute and Relative modes.
3D Shade Scene - Heat Map Viewer
User Inputs (Heat Map Viewer)
| # | Input | Type | Units | Description | Related Documentation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Beam Irradiance Shade Loss | Radio Button | — | Display heat map showing direct/beam irradiance losses due to shading. Red indicates higher losses, green indicates lower losses. | 3D Shading |
| 9 | Shade Electrical Effect Loss | Radio Button | — | Display heat map showing non-linear electrical losses due to partial shading on module strings. Accounts for bypass diode activation and mismatch effects. | Electrical Shading |
| 10 | Transposition (POAI) Loss / Gain | Radio Button | — | Display heat map showing plane-of-array irradiance transposition effects. Values can be positive (gain) or negative (loss) relative to the reference calculation. Accounts for diffuse and reflected irradiance components. | Transposition Models |
| 11 | Combined Loss / Gain | Radio Button | — | Display heat map showing the net combined effect of all three factors: beam shade loss, electrical effect loss, and transposition loss/gain. | — |
| 12 | Color Scale | Toggle | — | Toggle between Absolute and Relative color scaling. Absolute uses a fixed scale across all surfaces; Relative scales colors to the min/max values of the current view, providing better contrast for subtle variations. | — |
- Total Beam Irradiance Shade — Site-wide beam shading loss percentage
- Total Shade Electrical Effect — Site-wide non-linear electrical loss percentage
- Total Transposition (POAI) — Site-wide transposition gain or loss percentage
- Total Combined — Net combined effect of all shading factors