How do you mitigate shading issues? Need More Solar Panels?

[WannabeSolarSparky]

I think I need to get another 2 panels for my batteries to fully charge.
Currently the batteries ALMOST get a full charge on a clear day.
Almost, due to a bit of shading that comes onto the panels about an hour before the batteries are fully charged

I think I already know the answer but maybe there are some clever ways around this issue?
Obvious solution is to add more panels to up the charging rate before that pesky shadow hits the panels.
But then I sit with wasted energy after?

[Guest Sarel]

Get rid of the shade, if you can obviously. Move the panels to another position or higher if possible. If you would rater get the extra panels, don’t consider the extra energy as wasted, consider it as shade mitigation, see where this goes….

[WannabeSolarSparky]

11 minutes ago, Sarel said:

Get rid of the shade, if you can obviously. Move the panels to another position or higher if possible. If you would rater get the extra panels, don’t consider the extra energy as wasted, consider it as shade mitigation, see where this goes….

Unfortunately the panels cannot be moved much, maybe a meter at most away from the shade, but that is going to give maybe 15 minutes extra no-shade.

Another option may be to drop my base load for an hour at mid day to give the charging an extra boost to get the batteries to full on the charge curve.

I have a small 1000watt grid tie coming early next week, and that will have new panels in a higher location where they will get afternoon sun till sunset.
Maybe divert some of that power to boost the batteries in the afternoon to bring them to full charge, or a combination of both

 

[Guest Sarel]

Can you move some of the panels to a new string and position them better perhaps?

[WannabeSolarSparky]

3 minutes ago, Sarel said:

Can you move some of the panels to a new string and position them better perhaps?

I only have 4 panels, the huge 540watt ja solar, one string in series, going into SPF5000es, so not much room to change.
See image below, the frame on the left gets the shadow from the neighbors garage at around 2:30 to 3:30 depending summer or winter, they are on a ground mounted frame and my wife will not allow it to move more than a meter to the left.
Renting, so roof mounting not an option at the moment.
The other frame and small panels on the right are for a separate system. That one I already moved further right as it was also throwing a shadow.
 

[Guest Sarel]

What about feet for the shaded panels?

[Guest Sarel]

Cabstruts are like R400.pp per 6m length….

[Guest Sarel]

Two lenghts will allow raising by at least 1.5m and brace it properly.

[WannabeSolarSparky]

8 minutes ago, Sarel said:

Two lenghts will allow raising by at least 1.5m and brace it properly.

That is an option worth exploring
Will need to go back to my design plans.

[YellowTapemeasure]

That's one beautiful North-facing roof , it's such a sin to waste it. Have you considered engaging with the owner on exploratory talks to possibly define a mutually beneficial proposition?

[WannabeSolarSparky]

1 hour ago, YellowTapemeasure said:

That's one beautiful North-facing roof , it's such a sin to waste it. Have you considered engaging with the owner on exploratory talks to possibly define a mutually beneficial proposition?

I have, but she is an 85 year old lady living in the UK and she said, " I do not quite understand this solar stuff."

Yeah, the roof will be perfect, I can fit 10 of those 540's on there, did the measurements already only need 8 else I go out of spec on the voltages, plenty space to have a gap for that pesky afternoon sun on the right.

 

[YellowTapemeasure]

12 minutes ago, WannabeSolarSparky said:

I have, but she is an 85 year old lady living in the UK and she said, " I do not quite understand this solar stuff."

Yeah, the roof will be perfect, I can fit 10 of those 540's on there, did the measurements already only need 8 else I go out of spec on the voltages, plenty space to have a gap for that pesky afternoon sun on the right.

 

If she's in the UK she ought to understand, there are electricity shortages same as here, and LPG gas prices have shot up substantially,

Prep some pictures for her pre-=production.

[WannabeSolarSparky]

12 minutes ago, YellowTapemeasure said:

If she's in the UK she ought to understand, there are electricity shortages same as here, and LPG gas prices have shot up substantially,

Prep some pictures for her pre-=production.

I have
She has given me permission to use the double garage roof, that's a flat roof with east/west sun, will be putting 8 panels on there (2 strings 4 facing east and 4 facing west) with a small grid-tie inverter to run my daytime baseloads.

[John2]

@WannabeSolarSparky you can do a carport structure with the north facing angel but the will cost a little bit.