Steps to generate Shade Report
- Ensure the system you want to generate a shade report is designed in 3D and has raytracing enabled. Otherwise you will NOT be able to generate the shade report.
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Go to Project > Info
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Click Generate Document within the Project Files section and select Shade Report (Generic)
- If you have multiple System Options for that project, you will need to select the system option you want to generate the shade report on.
- Click on "Generate" to create the report.
Note: Shade Report cannot be generated when facets are included with more than one type of imagery. Each oblique view counts as a separate imagery, and 3D is treated as a top-down imagery.
Terminology
Sun Access:
Sun Access describes the percentage of plane-of-array (POA) insolation incident on a PV module/array surface that is remaining after accounting for shading. Mathematically it can be described by the following equation:
It should be noted that OpenSolar takes into account of all 3 components of irradiance: direct, diffuse and reflected irradiance. Hence, the sun access value may be non-zero even if an object completely blocks out direct irradiance from reaching the PV modules due to contributions from diffuse and reflected irradiance.
Tilt Orientation Factor (TOF):
Tilt Orientation Factor (TOF) is the percentage of unshaded solar insolation at the actual tilt and azimuth of a module/array surface compared to the optimal tilt and azimuth; where the optimal tilt and azimuth is orientation that gives the highest annual generation. Mathematically it can be described by the following equation:
As a rule of thumb the optimal orientation that maximize insolation falling on a PV module is roughly when the tilt is equal to the latitude and facing towards the equator (i.e. azimuth = 0° for southern hemisphere and azimuth = 180° for northern hemisphere). However, in reality the optimal tilt is generally a few degrees less than the latitude.
Total Solar Resource Fraction (TSRF):
Total Solar Resource Fraction (TSRF) provides the ratio of insolation available with shading on a module/array surface, compared to the insolation at optimal module orientation with no shading. Mathematically it can be described by the following equation:
Note that you can also derive TSRF by multiplying Sun Access with TOF.
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