Shadow variation on photovoltaic collectors in a solar field

Stationary solar collectors deployed in rows in a solar field may be subjected to shading by adjacent rows during the day. The amount of shading depends on the distance between the collector rows and the shading may be taken into account in an optimal solar field design. The variation of the shadow on the photovoltaic (PV) collector is investigated to assess the energy output from the solar field. The shadow analysis provides the solar field designer with information on interconnecting schemes of the photovoltaic modules to form the photovoltaic array.