Solar Panels and Shade | Bypass Diodes

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How does shade affect solar panels?
To understand how shade affects solar panels, we first need to understand how solar panels work. At the heart of every solar panel are dozens of solar cells. Each of these cells produces a little bit of electricity when light falls on it. To increase the power output, solar panel manufacturers daisy-chain a whole load of these cells, usually about 60.
The power output of solar cells will drop if they get shaded. The good news is that as long as the cells are equally shaded, they will continue to work in harmony. While they won’t produce as much power as they might in full sun, the cells will make the most of the light that’s available. This way, they can continue to produce a worthwhile, albeit reduced amount of power.
But what if only some of the cells get shaded? The problem here is that a few shaded cells can act as a bottleneck, reducing the power output all the others too. So does this mean that shade on one of your panels will spoil your solar production across the board? The answer is no and you can thank a little device called the bypass diode.
Just about every solar panel sold today comes with three bypass diodes. These diodes make sure that a few shaded cells won’t drag down the power output of all the others. If any of the cells in your solar panel array are causing a bottleneck, the bypass diodes will jump into action, and allow the rest of the cells to get back to work as they should. The common notion that one shaded panel will stop all the others working is a total misconception.
It’s a relief to know that a few shadows here and there won’t spoil all of your electricity generation. However, to get the most of your solar panel system, you’ll still want to minimise shading as much as possible. If you can’t totally avoid shading, then you might be considering power optimisers or microinverters. These devices are supposed to minimise the negative impact of shade on solar panels. But power optimisers and microinverters are not always what they’re hyped up to be. Follow the link in the description to learn why.