D VINE ENERGY SYSTEMS

For a residential system, most solar panels will be mounted on the roof of your home. The panels need to face the sun, thus they will be pointed south if you live in the northern hemisphere. Or north if you live “down under”. You also need to point the panels UP at the sun. As a general guideline, you tilt the panels up, at the same angle as your LATITUDE.

If you have the space, another option is to mount the panels on the ground. They can be static mounted (don’t move) or you can mount the panels on trackers. The trackers and be single axis (east-west) or dual axis (east-west and up-down). A dual axis tracker can increase your power output by 30% or more. Thus, though they may cost a little more to install, they usually more than pay for themselves.

Ground Mount
In cases where there is not sufficient roof space, solar modules can also be mounted on the grounds of your property. The most common type of ground mount is a wedge structure constructed from steel supports anchored in concrete footings. The remainder of the structure is built from aluminum or galvanized steel.
 
Pitched–Roof Mount
Roof mounts are more difficult to install and maintain, particularly if the roof orientation and angle are not compatible with the optimum solar array tilt angle. Penetrating the roof seal is inevitable and leaks may occur. Also, it is important to achieve a firm and secure attachment of the array mounting brackets to the roof. Attaching the mounting brackets to the rafters will provide the best foundation, but this may be difficult because module size and rafter spacing are usually not compatible. If there is access to the underside of the roof, 2 x 6-inch blocks can be inserted between the rafters and the attachment made to the blocks. Attaching the array to the plywood sheathing of the roof may result in roof damage, particularly if high winds are likely.

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