How to calculate inter-row spacing?

We installers are always fighting with shading. Nothing robs PV output more silently
than shade casted over modules due to overlooked objects at planning or objects that
become an offender after the construction has finished. (For example: a tree that has
grown enough to become a problem, or new construction involving tall buildings nearby.)
While mitigating shading with electronics is available, it is always less costly to avoid
shading altogether.
At PV Racking we are involved with a lot of ground projects where the installer provides
us with detailed site plans. While supplying racking is our goal, we also check many nonracking aspects of these plans to make sure that the installation will be a positive
experience for all involved. It is interesting to see how many plans squeeze sub arrays too
close together to be able to install a larger number of modules. Having sub-arrays too
close to each other creates shading issues. The required distance to avoid this is called the
minimum Inter Row Spacing which neatly abbreviates to IRS. There is a lot that could
be said about how IRS robs us from our solar earnings (of course I am talking about
shading here) but just to avoid confusion we are going to use the IS abbreviation instead
in our discussion.
So what is the best way to calculate inter-row distances to avoid shading?
The calculation is simple, there are just a few variables involved here:
1. Compute the combined length of the installed modules in the north-south
direction. (L)
2. We also need to know the lowest altitude of the sun (sun angle) at the
location of the array. In our hemisphere this happens during the winter
solstice. The United States Naval Observatory has a nifty website to help
along: http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/AltAz.php. We would select the
nearest town, and the date of December 21st and the web site would return
the sun altitude in 10 minutes intervals. The winter solar window (useful
solar exposure) is usually set between 10:00-14:00 hours, therefore from
the returned list we would select the lowest sun angle from this time
period. (a)
3. We need to know which way the terrain slopes. Southward sloping terrains
allow closer spacing of the sub arrays, while northward slopes create the
opposite requirement. If the terrain slopes southward at the same angle as
the module tilt angle the IS would be zero. In other words, all modules
could be installed without Inter row Spacing. While this is theoretically
acceptable, one would allow adequate spacing for easy of installation and
maintenance.((g.) negative value for northward sloping ground)
4. Module tilt angle. (b)

The formula to calculate the minimum Inter row Spacing (IS) at flat terrain is:
IS = L

sin (b )
tg (a )

Let us work through an example.

Assuming:
1. Module north-south dimension is 65. Three modules are installed in one column in
portrait format.
2. a= 25 degrees sun altitude.
3. g=0 , terrain is flat.
4. b= 20 degrees module tilt angle,
Calculate L length first:
L = 65 3 = 195
Calculate Inter row Spacing next:
IS = L

sin (b )
sin(20)
0.342
= 195
= 195
= 195 0.733 143" or 12'
tg (a )
tg (25)
0.466

We recommend adding at least another foot to the calculated value above, to account for
small terrain variations and installation real world misalignments.
When the terrain slopes in the north-south direction the math becomes a bit more
involved. We have developed a simple Excel calculator to calculate inter-row shading too
handle most of the combinations. We would be glad to email you a copy, just send us an
email at MariaV@pvracking.us after you have copied legal release from below into your
requesting email.
You see, our lawyer insists that we get back the below paragraph (copied and pasted into
the request email) and I learned quite some time ago to obey lawyers
So please copy and paste and email us, we would be glad to help.
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