Total or partial shading conditions have a detrimental impact in the output energy ofphotovoltaic (PV) systems and in the semiconductor materials PV technologies are made of.Residential PV installations are very likely to be exposed to shade projected by nearbyobjects such as buildings or neighboring trees. The electrical configuration of PV systems iscrucial to mitigate the shading effect, as it is the use of power optimizers. This study assessesthe shading impact on two different types of residential PV systems to verify gains associatedwith SolarEdge optimizers and support product marketing. It aspires to help PV ownersselect power inverters that maximize the annual energy produced. Experiments have beenperformed simulating snow coverage and tree shading on a string-based system (Fronius)and an optimizer-based system (SolarEdge). Findings demonstrated the decrease in lossesfrom partial shading conditions with power optimizers. SolarEdge optimizers reduceshading power losses from 50% to 29% in comparison to a standard string system whensimulated snow coverage is applied. Results also showed that SolarEdge system decreasedtree shading losses from 17% to 13% in comparison to string-based system.