How to View Annual Shade Values in the Design Tool
When working with solar designs, understanding shade impact is critical. The Design tool provides a helpful way to visualize Annual Shade Values in two easy-to-understand formats:
1. By Color
The Annual Shade values are color-coded directly on the design layout to give you a quick visual overview. Here’s how it works:
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Black colors: indicate low shading – areas that get a lot of sunlight.
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Grey colors (shades of grey) show high shading – areas that are shaded for most of the year.
This shades of Black and Grey helps you identify which parts of the design are more suitable for solar panel placement and which may experience reduced efficiency due to shading.
How to Enable:
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Go to the Design view of your project.
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After adding panels, click on "Shading".
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Review the heatmap to see the color gradient across your layout.
2. SAV Value on Hover
If you want precise shading data, you can also hover your cursor over any panel on the design. This reveals the SAV (Shade Annual Value) for that specific location.
What SAV Means:
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SAV is typically shown as a percentage, indicating how much sunlight is blocked annually at that point.
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A higher SAV means less shading (better for panels).
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A lower SAV means more shading (worse for panel efficiency).
By using both color and SAV values on hover, you can make informed decisions to optimize panel placement and maximize energy production
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