Sweden takes the high-latitude shading problem to its limit. At 59 degrees north the sun rises barely above the horizon in midwinter, and at 65 degrees it barely rises at all. A tree line that is irrelevant in July removes almost everything from October to March. Shadow lengths that would be absurd anywhere else are the normal design condition here, and most software’s default assumptions were never built for it.
Direct answer. The best solar shading analysis software in Sweden is PVsyst, because it handles far-horizon profiles and near-field 3D obstructions as separate, explicit inputs, which is exactly what Swedish sites require. SurgePV covers the same hourly modelling alongside the layout and single-line diagram. Any tool using peak-day or summer-referenced shading arithmetic is unusable at these latitudes.
TL;DR
- Winter sun elevation is so low that shadow lengths run to many times the obstruction height.
- Far-horizon shading, treelines and terrain, matters as much as near-field objects. Model both.
- Forest is the dominant Swedish obstruction, and conifers do not thin in winter.
- Shaded modules hold snow longer, so shading and snow loss compound.
- Steeper tilt both sheds snow and captures more low winter sun, which changes the shading geometry too.
What Sweden Actually Changes About Shading Analysis
Shadow length is extreme. At Swedish latitudes the solar elevation at midwinter noon is only a few degrees above the horizon across much of the country. A ten metre treeline can cast a shadow measured in hundreds of metres. This is not an edge case to be handled with a safety margin, it is the design condition for roughly half the year, and it means far-horizon obstructions that would be ignored elsewhere have to be surveyed and modelled.
Two different shading problems. Swedish sites need both a far-horizon profile, capturing terrain and distant treelines, and a near-field 3D scene, capturing the building’s own geometry and immediate obstructions. Tools that offer only one of the two produce an incomplete answer. PVsyst’s separation of horizon and near-shading is the reason it fits this market so well.
Conifers do not help. In markets dominated by deciduous trees, winter shading is partly self-correcting because the canopy thins when the sun is lowest. Swedish forest is largely coniferous, so the obstruction is full-density precisely when the sun is at its worst. A transmission factor borrowed from a deciduous assumption will understate the loss.
Shade and snow compound. A shaded section stays colder and retains snow longer than an adjacent clear section, so a marginal shaded position loses output twice. No platform models this, which is a reason to be conservative rather than a number to compute.
Tilt interacts with shading. A steeper array sheds snow faster and captures more low winter sun, but it also increases inter-row shading for a given pitch. Those pull in opposite directions and the trade is a real calculation rather than a preference.
The 7 Platforms Ranked for Sweden
| Platform | Best for | Far-horizon profile | Near-field 3D scene | Price per seat per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PVsyst | High-latitude detailed studies | Yes, explicit | Yes, scene builder | ~$500 |
| SurgePV | Shading plus design and SLD | Yes | Yes, 8,760-hour | $1,299 to $1,899 |
| Nordic market tools | Domestic workflow | Often tuned locally | Varies | Subscription, SEK |
| HelioScope | Commercial rooftop | Limited | Moderate | ~$1,188 |
| Aurora Solar | Complex roof geometry | Limited | Strong, LIDAR | $1,908 to $3,108 |
| SketchUp plus Skelion | Bespoke terrain and horizon | Manual | Manual | ~$700 plus plugin |
| SAM (NREL) | Sensitivity studies | Yes | Limited | Free |
PVsyst is the right default. It takes a horizon profile and a near-shading scene as separate inputs and reports their effects separately in the loss diagram, which is what a Swedish site needs. See PVsyst price and our PVsyst loss diagram guide.
SurgePV runs 8,760-hour shading and carries the same model into layout, string design, and DWG export for the connection package.
Nordic-market tools are tuned to local conditions and suit domestic workflow.
Try the software behind this guide
Model the treeline shadow at three degrees elevation
SurgePV runs 8,760-hour shading against horizon and near-field obstructions at Swedish latitudes, then carries the same model into string design and DWG export.
Book a free SurgePV demo →No credit card. 20-minute walkthrough on one of your own projects.
What a Swedish Shading Deliverable Has to Contain
- Far-horizon profile covering terrain and distant treelines, surveyed rather than assumed.
- Near-field 3D scene covering the building, adjacent structures, and immediate vegetation.
- Hourly shading loss with monthly breakdown, and the winter months shown explicitly.
- Conifer transmission assumption stated, since evergreen canopy does not thin in winter.
- Inter-row pitch derivation against the site’s winter sun path, with the tilt trade explained.
- Snow retention note for shaded positions.
- Per-string loss table identifying positions worth excluding.
Item 1 is the one most often skipped. A Swedish site assessment that models the building carefully and treats the horizon as flat has missed the larger of the two effects.
Pricing in Swedish Kronor
| Stack | USD per year | Approx. SEK at 10.5 | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| PVsyst | ~$500 | ~5,250 kr | Horizon plus near-shading studies |
| HelioScope | ~$1,188 | ~12,474 kr | Commercial layout and shading |
| SurgePV | $1,299 to $1,899 | ~13,640 kr to 19,940 kr | Shading plus full design |
| Aurora | $1,908 to $3,108 | ~20,034 kr to 32,634 kr | Sales-grade shading plus proposal |
Exchange rate is illustrative.
What Most Swedish Installers Get Wrong
They model the near field and assume a flat horizon.
At three degrees of solar elevation the treeline 400 metres away matters more than the chimney on the roof. A site assessment that carefully models the building and ignores the horizon has inverted the priority. Surveying the horizon profile takes a site visit with the right instrument or a terrain dataset, and it is the highest-value hour in a Swedish shading study.
The second mistake is applying a deciduous transmission factor to conifer forest. Evergreen canopy stays dense through the winter, which is exactly when the shadows are longest, so a factor borrowed from a temperate deciduous assumption produces an optimistic result at the worst possible time of year.
When Software Is Not the Answer
Where snow loading rather than shading determines whether the roof can take an array, that is structural engineering.
Our solar civil and structural engineering team produces snow and wind load assessments delivered as STAAD Pro report calculations, with solar rooftop detailed engineering design covering the construction pack. See the sample design pack.
Conclusion
- Survey the horizon. At Swedish sun elevations, distant terrain and treelines outweigh near-field objects.
- Use a conifer transmission assumption. Evergreen forest does not thin when the sun is lowest.
- Derive pitch and tilt together. Steeper tilt helps snow and winter sun but worsens inter-row shading.
In this country series: solar software in Sweden, best solar design software in Sweden, best solar proposal software in Sweden, Aurora Solar review. Tool deep dives: Opensolar review, Pvsol 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 Sweden? PVsyst, because it takes a far-horizon profile and a near-field 3D scene as separate explicit inputs and reports their effects separately. SurgePV where the license also has to produce the layout and drawings.
Why is shading so severe at Swedish latitudes? Because midwinter solar elevation is only a few degrees above the horizon across much of the country, so shadows run to many times the height of the object casting them.
Does far-horizon shading really matter? Yes, more than near-field obstruction on many Swedish sites. At very low sun elevations, distant terrain and treelines block the sun for large parts of the day.
How should Swedish forest be modelled? As full-density obstruction through winter. Conifers do not thin seasonally, so a transmission factor derived from deciduous canopy will understate the loss exactly when it is largest.
Does tilt affect shading in Sweden? Yes, in both directions. Steeper tilt captures more low winter sun and sheds snow faster, but increases inter-row shading for a given pitch. The trade is a calculation.
How much does solar shading analysis software cost in Sweden? From roughly 5,250 kr per year for PVsyst alone to 32,600 kr for a sales-led stack. Full math is in our solar design software pricing breakdown.
Related: the wider tool decision is in best solar design software in Sweden, and the method in how to do shadow analysis for solar rooftop projects.
