The impact of shading on the exploitation of photovoltaic installations

The article presents an overview of aspects of shading's influence in photovoltaic systems that are the most important in the opinion of the authors. Discussing this particular problem is essential for minimizing the losses in the energy gain which is heavily dependent on the amount of radiation reaching photovoltaic cells. The radiation itself may be considerably limited due to the pollution or shading of the working area of PV panels. Because of that, it is necessary to undertake actions to prevent the unfavorable effects of shading. Due to its importance in research on PV panels, the authors of the following publication decided to introduce most crucial factors responsible for shading; including its characteristics, influence on overall functionality of PV panels or possible prevention methods. The analyzed issues were supplemented with the results of the original researches and simulations conducted for the need of this very article. Thus, appropriate steps should be undertaken as early as the design process of PV begins. Such measures may contribute to not only the increase of energy gain, but potential improvement in terms of profitability of the entire investment. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.