Shading behaves differently at 49 degrees north than it does in Arizona, and Canadian solar designers who use American defaults find out in February. A one metre obstruction that casts a two metre shadow at a Phoenix winter noon casts something close to four metres in southern Ontario, and considerably more further north. Every inter-row spacing rule of thumb imported from the US market is wrong here, in the direction that costs yield.
Direct answer. The best solar shading analysis software in Canada for most installers is PVsyst or SurgePV, because both run true hourly modelling with a 3D obstruction scene, which is what high-latitude winter sun angles require. Tools using peak-day or summer-referenced shading arithmetic will underestimate Canadian inter-row and obstruction losses, and no platform models the interaction between shading and snow retention.
TL;DR
- Canadian winter sun elevation is low enough that shadow lengths are several times the obstruction height at midday.
- Inter-row spacing rules borrowed from US markets under-space Canadian ground-mount arrays.
- Shaded areas hold snow longer, so shading and snow loss compound rather than add.
- Use hourly modelling. Peak-day shading arithmetic is not adequate at these latitudes.
- Vendors quote in USD, so the effective seat cost carries the exchange rate.
What Canada Actually Changes About Shading Analysis
Winter sun is very low. At Canadian latitudes the December solar elevation at solar noon is low enough that shadows run several times the height of the object casting them. An obstruction that is irrelevant in June removes meaningful generation from November through February, which is precisely when the customer is watching their bill. Any shading assessment that reports an annual average without showing the winter months is concealing the part that matters.
Inter-row spacing has to be derived, not assumed. Ground-mount and flat-roof ballasted arrays need row pitch calculated against the local winter sun path, not against a ground coverage ratio taken from a warmer market. Getting this wrong is expensive in both directions: too tight and the array shades itself all winter, too loose and land or roof area is wasted. The ground coverage ratio decision is a latitude decision in Canada more than anywhere else in North America.
Snow and shade compound. A module section that sits in shadow stays colder and holds snow longer than an adjacent unshaded section. The result is that a shaded row loses output twice, once to the shadow and again to snow that would otherwise have shed. No design platform models this interaction, and it is a real reason to be conservative about accepting marginal shaded positions on a Canadian array.
Roof geometry and adjacent buildings. Canadian residential roofs and dense urban lots produce plenty of self-shading and neighbour shading, and at low sun angles a two-storey house next door reaches a long way.
Code and stamping are unaffected. Shading is an engineering input rather than a compliance item in Canada, so unlike the US there is generally no prescribed measurement method. That makes the tool choice a pure accuracy question.
The 7 Platforms Ranked for Canada
| Platform | Best for | True hourly modelling | 3D obstruction scene | Price per seat per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PVsyst | Detailed loss and lender-grade studies | Best in class | Yes, scene builder | ~$500 USD |
| SurgePV | Shading plus design in one license | Yes, 8,760-hour | Yes | $1,299 to $1,899 USD |
| HelioScope | Commercial rooftop and ground-mount | Yes | Moderate | ~$1,188 USD |
| Aurora Solar | Residential sales-grade shading | Yes | Strong, LIDAR | $1,908 to $3,108 USD |
| Scanifly | Complex or obstructed sites | Inherited | Drone-derived | ~$3,000+ USD |
| RETScreen | Early feasibility screening | No | No | Free tier |
| SketchUp plus Skelion | Bespoke geometry | Manual | Manual | ~$700 USD plus plugin |
PVsyst is the most rigorous option and the one whose loss diagram lets you see exactly what the near-shading scene cost you. See PVsyst price and our PVsyst loss diagram guide.
SurgePV runs 8,760-hour shading and carries the same model into the layout, string design, and editable DWG, which matters in Canada because the drawings need correcting to Canadian Electrical Code conventions anyway.
Aurora produces the best customer-facing shading visualisation, at a US price point. See Aurora Solar pricing.
Try the software behind this guide
Model the December shadow, not the June one
SurgePV runs 8,760-hour shading against a full 3D obstruction scene at Canadian latitudes, then carries the same model into the layout, string design, and DWG export.
Book a free SurgePV demo →No credit card. 20-minute walkthrough on one of your own projects.
What a Canadian Shading Deliverable Has to Contain
- 3D obstruction scene including the building’s own geometry, adjacent structures, and vegetation.
- Hourly shading loss across the full year, with monthly breakdown.
- Winter months shown explicitly, because that is where the loss concentrates.
- Inter-row pitch derivation for ground-mount and ballasted flat roof, against the local winter sun path.
- Per-string or per-module loss table identifying compromised positions.
- Snow interaction note where shaded positions are likely to retain snow longer.
- Annual production impact against the unshaded case.
Item 4 is the one that carries money on commercial ground-mount. A pitch derived for Toronto and applied in Edmonton is not conservative, it is wrong.
Pricing in Canadian Dollars
| Stack | USD per year | Approx. CAD at 1.36 | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| PVsyst | ~$500 | ~C$680 | Detailed shading and yield |
| HelioScope | ~$1,188 | ~C$1,616 | Commercial layout and shading |
| SurgePV | $1,299 to $1,899 | ~C$1,767 to C$2,583 | Shading plus full design |
| Aurora | $1,908 to $3,108 | ~C$2,595 to C$4,227 | Sales-grade shading plus proposal |
Exchange rate is illustrative.
What Most Canadian Installers Get Wrong
They import US inter-row spacing.
Row pitch tables and ground coverage ratio defaults circulating in the North American market are usually derived for latitudes well south of most Canadian population centres. Applied in Calgary or Winnipeg they produce arrays that shade themselves through the entire winter, and the loss does not show up in a summer commissioning test. Derive the pitch from the site’s own sun path.
The second mistake is accepting marginal shaded positions because the annual loss looks small. In Canada that loss is concentrated in the months of highest electricity value and compounded by snow retention, so a position that models at a modest annual penalty can behave much worse in practice.
When Software Is Not the Answer
If the array cannot be spaced correctly because the roof or site is too small, the answer is a different system size, not a better model. And if snow loading rather than shading is the binding constraint, that is structural engineering.
Our solar civil and structural engineering team handles snow and drift assessment with calculations delivered as STAAD Pro report calculations, and solar ground mount design covers layout and pitch for larger sites. See the sample design pack.
Conclusion
- Derive inter-row pitch from the site’s winter sun path. US spacing tables under-space Canadian arrays.
- Show the monthly shading loss. An annual figure hides the season where the loss lands.
- Be conservative about marginal shaded positions. Shade and snow retention compound.
In this country series: solar software in Canada, best solar design software in Canada, best solar proposal software in Canada, Pvsol review. Tool deep dives: Pvcase review, Pvsyst review.
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Disclosure and accuracy note
Commercial relationship. Heaven Designs and SurgePV are part of the same group. Treat our recommendation of SurgePV as a vendor making its own case, not an independent verdict. We have tried to describe every other product fairly, and to say plainly where a competitor is the better choice.
Pricing. All prices are indicative, compiled from public sources when this page was written. They vary by tier, region, contract term and exchange rate, and change without notice. Several vendors quote rather than publish, and some price in currencies other than the US dollar, so a converted figure moves with the exchange rate. Confirm current pricing with the vendor before you decide anything.
Trademarks and corrections. All product names and trademarks belong to their respective owners, and are used here for identification and comparison only. Their use does not imply affiliation with or endorsement by those companies. If anything here is out of date or wrong, tell us and we will correct it.
FAQ
What is the best solar shading analysis software in Canada? PVsyst for detailed and lender-grade studies, SurgePV where the same license also has to produce the layout and drawings. Both run true hourly modelling, which high-latitude winter sun requires.
Why does shading matter more at Canadian latitudes? Because winter solar elevation is low, so shadows run several times the height of the object casting them. Obstructions that are harmless in summer remove meaningful generation from November through February.
Can I use US inter-row spacing tables in Canada? No. Spacing derived for lower latitudes under-spaces Canadian arrays and produces winter-long self-shading. Derive pitch from the specific site’s sun path.
Does any software model snow and shading together? No. Shaded areas retain snow longer, which compounds the loss, but no design platform models the interaction. Treat it as a reason for conservatism rather than a modelled figure.
Is a specific shading measurement method required in Canada? Generally no. Unlike some US incentive programs, shading is an engineering input rather than a prescribed compliance measurement, so tool choice is a pure accuracy question.
How much does solar shading analysis software cost in Canada? From roughly C$680 per year for PVsyst alone to C$4,227 for Aurora’s higher tiers. Full math is in our solar design software pricing breakdown.
Related: the wider tool decision is in best solar design software in Canada, and the method in how to do shadow analysis for solar rooftop projects.
