{
  "version": "1.0",
  "calculator": {
    "id": "solar-pv-shading",
    "title": "Solar PV shade factor",
    "summary": "Turns a sunpath assessment into the shade factor an output estimate is multiplied by.",
    "tier": "advanced",
    "description": "Convert a completed MCS sunpath shading assessment into a shade factor, using the\nprocedure in MGD 005.\n\nThe MCS sunpath chart is divided into 84 segments, each worth one per cent of the year's useful\nirradiance. An assessor stands at the middle of where the array will go, plots what blocks the\nhorizon onto the chart, and counts the segments covered. This tool takes that count and returns\n1 minus the loss, which is the SF term in the MIS 3002 output estimate.\n\nObjects within ten metres of the array are near shading and are assessed separately, from each\naffected part of the array, not from its middle. They can be listed here for the record, but\nMGD 005 is explicit that near shading has a considerable effect and should be avoided.\n\nThis tool does not perform the assessment. It does the arithmetic on an assessment somebody made.",
    "standard": "MGD 005",
    "category": "solar-pv",
    "webPath": "/calculators/solar-pv-shading",
    "example": {
      "segments": 11
    },
    "inputSchema": {
      "type": "object",
      "properties": {
        "segments": {
          "type": "integer",
          "description": "Number of segments on the MCS sunpath chart that the obstruction touches, from 0 to 84. Each segment is worth one per cent of the year's irradiance."
        },
        "nearObjects": {
          "type": [
            "null",
            "array"
          ],
          "items": {
            "type": "object",
            "properties": {
              "description": {
                "type": "string",
                "description": "What the object is, for example 'chimney' or 'television aerial'."
              },
              "segments": {
                "type": "integer",
                "description": "Segments the object touches on the sunpath chart, from 0 to 84."
              },
              "modulesAffected": {
                "type": "integer",
                "description": "How many modules in the array this object shades."
              }
            },
            "required": [
              "segments",
              "modulesAffected"
            ],
            "additionalProperties": false
          },
          "description": "Objects within ten metres of the middle of the array, each assessed from its own position on the array. Optional."
        }
      },
      "required": [
        "segments"
      ],
      "additionalProperties": false
    },
    "outputSchema": {
      "type": "object",
      "properties": {
        "segments": {
          "type": "integer"
        },
        "shadingLoss": {
          "type": "number",
          "description": "Proportion of the year's irradiance blocked, as a decimal."
        },
        "shadeFactor": {
          "type": "number",
          "description": "The multiplier to apply to an unshaded output estimate: 1 minus the loss."
        },
        "shadingLossPercent": {
          "type": "number"
        },
        "verdict": {
          "type": "string"
        },
        "severity": {
          "type": "string",
          "description": "One of 'none', 'slight', 'moderate' or 'severe'."
        },
        "nearObjects": {
          "type": [
            "null",
            "array"
          ],
          "items": {
            "type": "object",
            "properties": {
              "description": {
                "type": "string"
              },
              "segments": {
                "type": "integer"
              },
              "modulesAffected": {
                "type": "integer"
              },
              "lossPercent": {
                "type": "number"
              }
            },
            "required": [
              "segments",
              "modulesAffected",
              "lossPercent"
            ],
            "additionalProperties": false
          }
        },
        "totalModulesAffected": {
          "type": "integer"
        },
        "method": {
          "type": "string"
        },
        "references": {
          "type": [
            "null",
            "array"
          ],
          "items": {
            "type": "object",
            "properties": {
              "document": {
                "type": "string"
              },
              "title": {
                "type": "string"
              },
              "url": {
                "type": "string"
              },
              "clause": {
                "type": "string"
              }
            },
            "required": [
              "document",
              "title",
              "url"
            ],
            "additionalProperties": false
          }
        },
        "notes": {
          "type": [
            "null",
            "array"
          ],
          "items": {
            "type": "string"
          }
        }
      },
      "required": [
        "segments",
        "shadingLoss",
        "shadeFactor",
        "shadingLossPercent",
        "verdict",
        "severity",
        "method",
        "references",
        "notes"
      ],
      "additionalProperties": false
    }
  },
  "url": "https://ampworth.com/api/v1/calculators/solar-pv-shading",
  "webUrl": "https://ampworth.com/calculators/solar-pv-shading",
  "exampleUrl": "https://ampworth.com/api/v1/calculators/solar-pv-shading?segments=11",
  "method": "POST",
  "contentType": "application/json",
  "notice": "These calculators follow the published MCS methods, for understanding a system and checking a quotation. Anything that gets installed still needs a design and a site survey from a certified installer."
}