What Is A Ground-Mount Solar System

What Is A Ground-Mount Solar System?

The solar installation business covers a lot of products and services to its customers. Arguably, the most popular of all these products is the rooftop solar panel arrays. It is the first thing people think of when they hear about the solar industry. However, sometimes, rooftop solar arrays aren’t the best option for a particular customer. If that’s the case, they have to look for an alternative. As solar installers, you should already know what that alternative is: the ground-mount solar system. 

As the name suggests, a ground-mount solar system is a kind of photovoltaic mounting system where the solar panels are fixed on the ground, instead of the typical surfaces like roofs and building facades. In a lot of cases, ground-mounted solar systems are commonly large, utility-scale PV stations, and they consist of solar modules that are held in place by racks of frames that are attached to the ground-based mounting supports. 

The ground-based mounting has three primary supports. The first is the pole mount, which is driven directly into the ground or embedded into the concrete. The second is the foundation mount, which is basically just like concrete slabs or poured footings. And finally, the third support is the ballasted footing mount, which is basically concrete or steel bases that use weight to secure the solar modules system in position and do not require ground penetration. Because of this, the ballasted footing mount is perfect for sites where excavation is not possible. 

As mentioned earlier, rooftop solar arrays are the most common choice for solar customers, particularly for homeowners. But ground-mounted systems are starting to get traction nowadays, as well. There are a lot of reasons for this. The first is the fact that ground-mounted systems are very easy to place because they can be located on open land. The second is the fact that they’re not dependent on the rooftop. As a result, the ground-mounted solar panels are set at a perfect angle to optimize energy production. And thirdly, the ground-mounted solar systems are more accessible for cleaning and maintenance, unlike the rooftop arrays which you still have to climb on to be able to clean. 

So, even though rooftop arrays are still the most popular choice, customers are already becoming more aware of the advantages of ground-mounted solar systems. Thus, it’s only a matter of time before ground-mounted systems will peak in their popularity.