Solar Shading Analysis Reports and PV Shade Studies

Solar shading analysis is one of the most consequential and least glamorous parts of solar design. A single overlooked chimney, tree line, or adjacent building can reduce annual production by 5 to 30 percent, destroy project economics, and trigger customer complaints months after installation. RIH Engineering delivers PV shading analysis reports as an outsourced solar shading analysis service for US solar EPCs, installers, and developers. Our engineers produce LiDAR-based, object-based, and hybrid shading studies calibrated to the specific tools your workflow requires.

What you get

• Complete shading analysis reports with annual shade loss percentages by module or sub-array
• Monthly and hourly shading heatmaps showing when and where shading impacts production
• LiDAR-based shading (via Aurora Solar or equivalent) for accurate tree and terrain modeling
• Object-based shading (Helioscope, custom models) for buildings and site obstructions
• Solar access percentages (TSRF, TOF, Solar Access) for programs that require them
• Recommendations for module layout adjustments to minimize shading impact
• PDF deliverables suitable for permit submission, customer presentation, or program registration
• Turnaround typically 24 to 72 hours per site

What we handle for you

Shading analysis is a specialty skill that requires familiarity with multiple tools (Aurora LiDAR, Helioscope, Solmetric SunEye, HORIzON), understanding of solar geometry, and attention to detail across hundreds of individual modules. Doing this well in-house means either training a specialist or making shading analysis a distributed responsibility that gets skipped when pipeline pressure builds.

We take shading analysis off your plate as a dedicated deliverable. You send us the site imagery or address, along with the module layout (or we design one). We come back with a complete shading report including annual shade loss, monthly heatmaps, solar access percentages if required, and recommendations for layout optimization.

The cost of doing this in-house

Skipped or incomplete shading analysis is one of the top three causes of post-installation customer complaints in residential solar. When actual production comes in 15 percent below the sales proposal, customers request refunds, submit chargebacks, or post negative reviews. The cost of one bad review or one production guarantee claim exceeds the cost of comprehensive shading analysis on hundreds of projects.

For commercial and utility-scale, unaccounted shading destroys pro forma economics. A 5 percent production loss on a 5 MW project is 250 kW of lost capacity, which at $0.05/kWh PPA over 25 years is more than $150,000 of lost revenue. Getting shading right during design is the cheapest insurance against these outcomes.

Why RIH Engineering is safe to try

Send us one site. We deliver a complete shading analysis in 24 to 72 hours. You review it. If the analysis doesn't provide the detail you need or the methodology doesn't fit your workflow, we adjust or you don't send us the next one. No long-term commitment.

Our engineers have worked across every major shading analysis tool in the US market, from Solmetric SunEye in the field to LiDAR-based Aurora shading models. We produce shading studies that match the format your customers, financiers, and AHJs expect.

Our process

1. You send us the project address, module layout (or request we design one), and specify shading methodology (LiDAR, object-based, hybrid)
2. Our engineer pulls site imagery, LiDAR data (if applicable), and identifies all shading objects (trees, buildings, chimneys, vents, adjacent structures)
3. Shading model built in the required tool (Aurora, Helioscope, or custom) with accurate object heights and positions
4. Annual shading simulation run per module or sub-array
5. Monthly and hourly shading heatmaps generated for critical periods
6. Solar access percentages calculated if required for program eligibility (TSRF, TOF, SA)
7. Recommendations documented for layout adjustments to minimize shading impact
8. PDF shading report delivered, typically within 24 to 72 hours

Tools and standards

Our shading analysis team works in Aurora Solar (LiDAR), Helioscope (object-based), Solmetric SunEye (field measurement), HORIzON, and custom shading models. Reports are formatted for permit AHJ submission, customer presentation, or program registration (SREC, Solar for All, community solar) as required.

Client-preferred tools: Our team can be trained to use the tool preferred by the client. If your workflow depends on a specific platform, template, or drafting standard, we adapt to it rather than force you into ours.