We do a lot of saskatchewan solar installs for farms and industrial businesses.
Roof mounted solar panels vs ground.
Roof mounted solar panels.
Pros of roof mounted solar panels.
Having the array on the roof and within inches of a hot surface.
Lower cost than ground mount.
This is when the solar racking which holds the panels in place is installed directly on the roof.
Utilises otherwise unused space.
Ground installations can be larger than roof installations because there is usually more space in the yard.
Ground mounted solar panels are best suited to larger solar projects.
Requires less racking and less installation.
Roof mount and ground mount racking systems.
You have more yard than you do roof.
Roofs are sizable enough for small scale operations but when you re trying to generate a lot of electricity you need ground mounted panels.
Here are some important factors to consider before installing ground mounted solar panels.
As their name suggests ground mounted solar panels are ones that are installed on the ground as opposed to the roof.
Roof pitch angle and shape can interfere with optimum setup.
Performance with a ground mount system will always be better than roof top arrays since the system on the ground has more airflow to cool down the panels vs.
Ground mounted solar panels are free standing and able to be installed anywhere on your property including the front side or backyard whereas rooftop mounted panels must be attached to your roof.
The reason is simple.
Roof mount systems affix to brackets on your roof while ground mount systems are built into a foundation at ground level.
Cons of roof mounted solar panels.
A roof mount is the most common type of installation.
There are two types of solar mounting options.
If you can t install solar on your roof or simply don t want to a ground mounted system can be an attractive alternative.
There s lots of ground to cover.
Ground mounted solar systems may also have tracking capabilities that change the panel tilt throughout the day to maximize.
These are well suited to ground mount systems.
See the comparison images below for examples.
Panels can be attached to flat or sloping roofs consisting of metal shingle or rubber materials.
Doesn t usually require planning permission.
Unlike a rooftop solar panel system a ground mount system takes up new unused space on your property.
One of the biggest decisions you ll have to make before getting started though is between ground mounted and rooftop mounted panels.