5 Panel array with shading issues

Hi all,
Haven't been on for a while, and still have issues with E.ON install. I'm hoping the community can help once again.

(Issue is only during winter period, with low sun)
I have 5x 395W Southwest panels (orange line), on a L shaped roof. By 10am, 4 panels are in sunlight, the remaining 5th panel is partly in shadow from the roof line, current PV output is <500w
By 10:30am, all panels are in sunlight and the PV output dramatically increases to > 1kW

Question: Should my panels have micro inverters to increase the PV output of the 4 panels in direct sunlight?
E.ON are stating this is "normal" behavior and I don't need micro inverters.

The other 2 arrays are shown with a lovely curve to them...

Cpt Darling micro inverters are roof mounted inverters that convert your DC panel output to AC rather than the DC from your whole string of panels being converted in the inverter

what you are suffering from is one panel dropping the output of the entire string

micro inverters are one option but would be expensive addition. Cheapest would be if you could have that one panel on its own string going into the inverter, the problem with that is most inverters need a minimum number of panels on a string (usually 4 I think) before the string generates sufficient power for the inverter

the alternative is to fit a solar optimiser to that panel. You possibly only need an optimiser on that one panel. What the optimiser does is it takes the shaded panel out of the string loop if its not generating enough power, thus enabling the other panels to perform at full rate

Have a look at the Gary Does Solar YouTube channel, he has a video on understanding micro inverters and solar optimisers.

geoffreycoan
Thank you, yeah I do watch his videos, must have missed that one

Isn't a bypass diode sufficient to prevent one panel affecting the others?

nophead Isn't a bypass diode sufficient to prevent one panel affecting the others?

from what I remember, the bypass diode is good if the panel is not generating anything, less good if its partly shaded an partly generating

some panels are wired now with in effect multiple sub panels each with their own bypass diode to help improve on this