When an area of a standard solar panel, due to shading for example, can no longer produce enough current to match its neighboring cells, the cells begin consuming power from the surrounding cells and converting it to heat. While bypass diodes are used to prevent overheating, persistent activation can cause the diodes to fail which makes the panel susceptible to hotspot formation. Shaded Maxeon cells demonstrate lower heat generation, that is more evenly spread across the entire cell. As such, the diodes in Maxeon panels activate less frequently, increasing both energy production and useful life of the panel.