Solar in the Shade

[Scott 3]

Do the typical solar panels generate anything from the ambient light in shaded areas?  We have a lot of foliage in the Northeast and wondering if there will be any trickle effect in shady conditions.

 

[Utclmjmpr]

It does nor have to be in bright sunlight to produce power,,but,, it won't be much. When my M/H is in the garage mine will keep the battery bank full because I have skylights in the roof of the garage.>>>Dan

 

[Scott 3]

That's kind of what I was thinking although mine wont be in a garage.  Some of the campgrounds have thick forests and it will be nice if a little bit of a trickle charge can occur during the day.

 

[Utclmjmpr]

Probably more than you might think.>>>Dan

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Depends on the panel technology and how its wired. Some produce no power at all if there is even a band of shade across it. Others may produce some. Panels in series can be affected if one of them is shaded, causing a voltage drop. If the voltage is too low, it won't charge a battery even though the panel is producing some power.

I'd say that "typical" RV solar panels do not produce any useful amount of power in the shade, but some of the more sophisticated panels amd controllers may.

 

[Isaac-1]

To put that in more technical terms, a lot depends on the panels, if you have bypass diodes installed, and whether you have a PWM or an MPPT controller.  Installations with MPPT controllers provide considerably more power in shaded areas than panels with PWM controllers, bypass diodes help if one panel (or section of panel) is shaded and another is not.

See https://marinehowto.com/mppt-vs-pwm-solar-controllers/

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

To put it in LESS technical terms, if you just buy a single basic panel and controller, odds are it will produce zero power in the shade. 

 

[AStravelers]

Park overnight at a Walmart under the street lights and you will see 1 to 3 or maybe 5amps depending on the size of your panels.

 

[Memtb]

I was going to mention, on a good clear, moonlight night you?ll get some charge from your panels!

 

[Drewd]

I typically see 6 amps from six 100 watt panels on a very overcast day. 
If you have an occluded panel and they are wired in series, then you can expect no power.