Roof Mounting

The roof is one of the most preferable places to mount your solar panel.  By fixing the solar panel on the roof on a flat surface such as on shingles they are able to face strong winds, sustain heavy rains and basically handle strong weather without the chances of being ripped off and taken with the wind.  Another advantage is that multiple solar panels can be put together in one place basically being tied together, this way they take up less space and most importantly making it much more cost efficient.  In order to have this sort of an arrangement you should make sure that the roof can easily support the weight of the panels because they can be pretty hefty.  Lastly, it is really important that you ensure that the direction of the panel is in a position in which it will get more than sufficient sunlight. 

Pole Mounting

Mounting your solar panel on a pole is considered to be the most versatile option for mounting solar panels.  The plus point of mounting your solar panel on a pole is that it is reinforced by steel and is therefore very sturdy and at the same time can handle harsh weather.  Another advantage of pole mounting is that it is adjustable.  The benefit of this is that you can adjust the panel according to the direction of the sunlight in different seasons.  However, the shortcoming of this option is the restrictions it imposes, such as you can have a maximum of six to eight panels on a mount, therefore having to install more mounts for the entire system. 

Ground Mounting

This is basically the last option to consider when you don’t have the option of roof or pole mounting.  However, this is a good option if you have a large number of solar panels and you can’t fix them on a pole and also if you want to grid tie your panels for better productivity.  When you are mounting your panel on the ground, make sure that there isn’t a tree hanging over or a lot of shade.   Try to ensure that it is at a place in the ground where there is a lot of sunlight.  A major downside of ground mounting is that it is very costly because it requires the use of a large amount of steel supports, concrete foundations, and lastly galvanized footings, which can be a hassle when you are trying to be very economical.  As it can be seen roof, pole, and ground mountings are the most popular places for mounting solar panels with roofs being the most preferable.  However, it must be kept in mind that these are not the only places where solar panels can be mounted.  Other options that can be taken into consideration are building integrated mounting, mobile systems, or even tracking mounts

 

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