ABSTRACT Intra‐row shading between adjacent trackers in east–west single‐axis tracking PV systems remains unmodelled in the literature. This study develops an analytical geometric model based on plane‐line intersection theory to quantify the shaded area as a function of tracker rotation, lateral spacing, sun position, and array dimensions. The proposed model computes the shadow footprint by modelling each panel corner as a vertical rod, determining shadow length and its components using explicit geometric relations derived from the plane‐line intersection method. The model is validated using a dedicated 20 kW east–west tracking system. Results show that reducing lateral spacing between adjacent trackers from 6 to 0 m increases shading losses from 2.59% to 15.46%, decreasing annual yield from 17,488 kWh to 15,176 kWh while annual avoided CO 2 emissions increase from 9.11 to 10.49 tonnes. In addition, shading losses increase with latitude, from 9.94% at 10° to 18.29% at 70°, due to larger tilt angles and longer shadows. The model is input‐agnostic, accepting any tracker rotation angle, ensuring broad applicability across different control strategies. These findings underscore the need to incorporate intra‐row shading into tracker design and provide a geometric foundation for economic assessment and layout optimisation.
Nejad et al. (Thu,) studied this question.