How solar panels work
Shade from trees, buildings or dirt cuts what a solar panel can produce. Tap the panels below to add shade and see how much power you keep with a micro inverter, compared with a traditional string inverter.
- Total output
- 0W
- Compared with no shade
- 100%
- Lost to shade
- 0W
touch_appTap a panel to change its shade: none, light (25%), half (50%), heavy (90%).
Inside a solar cell
Each panel is made of solar cells: thin layers of silicon. When light (tiny packets of energy called photons) hits a cell, it knocks electrons loose. The cell's layers push those electrons one way, so they flow out through a wire as electricity. This is called the photovoltaic effect.
Shade means fewer photons reach the cells, so fewer electrons flow. The bulb follows the total output of the panels above.
Why shading matters
- 1 Shade cuts a panel's output Less light on the cells means less electricity. Even a branch or a patch of dirt makes a difference.
- 2 String inverters share the problem Panels wired in one string all carry the same current, so one shaded panel drags every other panel down to its level and the whole system loses power.
- 3 Micro inverters keep it contained The MX2250 gives every panel its own input, so each one makes as much as its own light allows. Shade only costs the shaded panel.
- 4 More power over the year Shade moves through the day. Keeping every unshaded panel at full power adds up to more energy, and a lower bill.
See what solar could do for your home
We'll check your roof for shade, look at your electricity bills and give you an accurate quote.
Schedule a VisitThis simulation is simplified for illustration: four 650 W panels in full sun. The string inverter is modelled simply: the whole string runs at the weakest panel's level (real panels' bypass diodes can soften this a little). Real output depends on your roof, weather and system.