Shading refers to the reduced irradiation of sunlight, for example on solar installations, due to shadows cast for various reasons. In solar thermal energy and photovoltaics, it leads to a loss of input due to the reduced irradiation power. Shading can be temporary and/or site-related and can be caused by objects or particles such as dust or leaves. Temporary shading can also occur during the cleaning process, for example. Trees or buildings can be the cause of shading depending on the location. A site analysis before installing a solar installation should rule out such causes as far as possible. The term shading can also refer to rooms or roof areas without photovoltaic systems and can be caused by artificial devices such as blinds as well as natural ones. In contrast to the first case, the effects here are positive: the right shading can significantly increase thermal comfort in buildings. Fewer resources are required for cooling, which has the opposite effect on heating in winter with natural causes.
Within the energy management of a building, shading can have many different effects. Intelligent building automation is essential to improve energy efficiency and increase comfort for users. Controlling shading and energy use in line with the time of year and time of day is an important factor in reducing a building's energy requirements and can be optimized using AI with aedifion.
