This 4.32-kW solar PV system was installed in 2011. At that time, an arc of trees had to be cleared away from the garage to ensure that the system would operate at its peak. The house has recently been for sale and the owners asked a friend to fly some drone imagery for the sale advertisement.
The image below shows the extent to which the surrounding forest was cleared to allow for shade-free operation of the solar. I think it's helpful to see this birds-eye view years later as it illustrates the cleared area, but also shows shadows from the trees that were left.
The garage is south facing and I'd expect the image was captured close to noon. By providing a clear skyview for their solar panels these customers were able to meet their goal of making more electricity than they required. They are moving to a new home built to a Passivhaus standard where they expect to also be net-zero.
