Did I just block my sunsetter solar shade with a gazebo?

looney2ns said:
You can't extend the awning now with the Gazebo in the way, can you? So, it doesn't matter.
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Thanks for the response.

Extending the awning would block the solar panel for the sunsetter (left side of first pic) even more.

I'm wondering if the solar panel could or should be re-positioned. Maybe lower? Or maybe there's a way to attach it to the awning, instead of being attached the way it is now.

It was working fine for these 3+ years in the same position. But I'm wondering if the gazebo is now blocking some of its light.
 
nuraman00 said:
Thanks for the response.

Extending the awning would block the solar panel for the sunsetter (left side of first pic) even more.

I'm wondering if the solar panel could or should be re-positioned. Maybe lower? Or maybe there's a way to attach it to the awning, instead of being attached the way it is now.

It was working fine for these 3+ years in the same position. But I'm wondering if the gazebo is now blocking some of its light.
Click to expand...
If you try to extend the awning, the front portion of awning will physically hit the gazebo, correct? Thus you can't extend the awning whether the solar panel is working well or not. Gazebo is in its way. If you are wanting to just partially extend the awning to cover the gap between your roof and the gazebo, then all you can do is wait and see if time will tell.
 
Do you think it's possible to reposition the solar panel? To another angle? You think something should be done though, right?
 
looney2ns said:
If you try to extend the awning, the front portion of awning will physically hit the gazebo, correct? Thus you can't extend the awning whether the solar panel is working well or not. Gazebo is in its way. If you are wanting to just partially extend the awning to cover the gap between your roof and the gazebo, then all you can do is wait and see if time will tell.
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its a shade not an awning.
 
fenderman said:
its a shade not an awning.
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Yes. I just realized there might be some confusion.

I wasn't as clear in my OP.

I have a Sunsetter drop-down shade (Easy Shade), not an awning. It goes over the sliding door.

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So my concern was that the solar panel which controls the dropping and raising of the shade, might not get enough light now.
 
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I'm sure there are programs to calculate sun angles and predict shadows based in your location and simulating different times of the year.

But it is important to have full direct sunlight strike the entire panel, for most solar panels, for them to produce good power.
 
With all of the sun being blocked by the gazebo, is it really necessary to have a shade over the sliding door anymore?
 
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J Sigmo said:
I'm sure there are programs to calculate sun angles and predict shadows based in your location and simulating different times of the year.

But it is important to have full direct sunlight strike the entire panel, for most solar panels, for them to produce good power.
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I agree. I'm just trying to figure out, based on how the solar panel has been in the same location for almost 3.5 years, if it's much different from what it was before.

It was always under the roof overhang, but still somehow received enough sunlight.

I'm not sure, if after putting up the gazebo, how much has changed. So I thought I would ask others' opinions, based on the pictures.

It's too bad there isn't an indicator where I could see the solar panel charge level.
 
nuraman00 said:
It's too bad there isn't an indicator where I could see the solar panel charge level.
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That would be ideal!

Some panels are set up so that if even one bit of bird doo doo covers a small section, the entire panel is rendered ineffective because the cells are all in series. The one cell in the shadow goes to a high-resistance state, preventing any current from flowing even though 99% of the panel is getting full sunlight. Other panels are wired differently inside, in a series-parallel scheme, and are much more tolerant of having part(s) of the panel blocked.

If it turns out that the gazebo blocks too much of the panel, I wonder if there's another way of powering the shade motor. Perhaps an external supply that relies on the mains power would actually be more reliable. I'm sure they set things up to be solar powered to eliminate the need for running wires, but sometimes, running wires is the best and most reliable way to accomplish something.
 
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J Sigmo said:
That would be ideal!

Some panels are set up so that if even one bit of bird doo doo covers a small section, the entire panel is rendered ineffective because the cells are all in series. The one cell in the shadow goes to a high-resistance state, preventing any current from flowing even though 99% of the panel is getting full sunlight. Other panels are wired differently inside, in a series-parallel scheme, and are much more tolerant of having part(s) of the panel blocked.

If it turns out that the gazebo blocks too much of the panel, I wonder if there's another way of powering the shade motor. Perhaps an external supply that relies on the mains power would actually be more reliable. I'm sure they set things up to be solar powered to eliminate the need for running wires, but sometimes, running wires is the best and most reliable way to accomplish something.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info on solar panels.

There were 3 different models of shades. A manual one; an electric one; and a solar powered one.

I wanted the solar panel one, for the cleaner look. And so that one outdoor electric outlet wasn't always in use.

I'm pretty sure the solar powered one can't be powered through a wire, like the electric one could.
 
J Sigmo said:
That would be ideal!

Some panels are set up so that if even one bit of bird doo doo covers a small section, the entire panel is rendered ineffective because the cells are all in series. The one cell in the shadow goes to a high-resistance state, preventing any current from flowing even though 99% of the panel is getting full sunlight. Other panels are wired differently inside, in a series-parallel scheme, and are much more tolerant of having part(s) of the panel blocked.

If it turns out that the gazebo blocks too much of the panel, I wonder if there's another way of powering the shade motor. Perhaps an external supply that relies on the mains power would actually be more reliable. I'm sure they set things up to be solar powered to eliminate the need for running wires, but sometimes, running wires is the best and most reliable way to accomplish something.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info on solar panels.

There were 3 different models of shades. A manual one; an electric one; and a solar powered one.

I wanted the solar panel one, for the cleaner look. And so that one outdoor electric outlet wasn't always in use.

I'm pretty sure the solar powered one can't be powered through a wire, like the electric one could.
 
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