Edge effect

[Barbadori]

Hi there,

I know that unlimited shed simulation doesn't take into account shed edges but I don't really understand what that really means. What's exactly the edge effect?

Because Near shading simulations takes into account this effect, I take it that it's more accurate to use the near shading vs unlimited shed, is that correct?

Many thanks in advance for the response.

Regards

[dtarin]

Yes, it is correct that a 3D shade scene is more representative. The edge refers to the the modules which are along the edges of the array. If you have a square block, it is the first row, top row, left side, and right side. These modules receive less shading, more reflected irradiance, etc, and hence more energy.

[Ishan31]

@dtarinCan you please clarify how these modules (Modules along the edge) receives less shading. Because I think only the first row will receive less shading while rest of row will have similar shading effect due to mutual shading.

Does it also means that given project would always generate more power in 3D scene in comparison to Unlimited tracker mode.

[Linda Thoren]

Indeed, the first row will not have any mutual shadings. For “unlimited” long tables, mutual shading can be applied uniformly across the entire row, allowing edge effects to be neglected.

In the two images below, you can see an example, that for long tables, the impact of edge effects is limited to the lower-left corner and is therefore negligible. However, for shorter tables, this assumption becomes less valid.