Ground Mount Vs Rooftop Solar Panels: Pros And Cons

If you are planning to switch to a renewable source of energy, like solar, you must have started searching more about the designs of solar panels and their impact on your future energy needs. The benefits of solar panels remain constant no matter what system they are attached to.

However, once you have chosen a solar panel, you need to decide how you will mount them. You should consider your budget, available space, and your energy needs before making this crucial decision.

All the options available in the market have their own merits and demerits. Two of the most common mounting options available for solar panel installation are ground mount and roof rack systems. In the ground mount system, solar panels are racked on the ground in an open area like a yard or rural settings, where people have open space in living environments. While roof racks as the name indicates are mounted on literally the roof of your house or office building making it fit for suburban or urban closed living settings.

Both the mounting systems of the solar panels have their own pros and cons, providing you with the option to choose the one that best fits your needs and demands. The article discusses the advantages and disadvantages of both the mounting system, to make your relevant decision easy.

Pros Of Using A Ground Mount Solar Panels Easy Access

When solar panels are mounted on the ground, their accessibility increases by manifolds. This easy access turns out to be a major benefit during installation and routine maintenance, repair, and cleaning process of the panels.

Better Airflow

The ground mount setting of the solar panels allows optimum airflow and better cooling of the system. This ultimately translates into better health of the solar panels increasing their efficiency, enabling them to produce high and better energy.

Space Is Not A Constraint

If you have space in your yard, you can add panels to your solar power system whenever more energy is required. You can expand the ground-mounted solar panel system with little fuss, which is not possible in roof-mounted solar panels as dimensions of the roof restrict the expansion.

Cons Of Ground-mounted Solar Panels Labor-intensive Installation

For ground-mount solar panel installation, you need to build a structure with sturdy foundations to hold the solar panels. The process involves soil testing, digging, and construction of a suitable foundation to make it strong enough to avoid any future problems.

Takes Up Real Estate

The ground mounts solar panels use up a lot of space on your property as compared to the rooftop solar panels.

Costly Permits

For building the new structure on your property, you need to attain the building permit from the relevant authorities depending on the area where you live. You will be required to submit a construction design and pay the associated fees for the permit. This can also cause a delay in your work as it may take some time to clear the official process.

Pros Of Rooftop Solar Panels Less Expensive

Rooftop solar panels are less expensive when it comes to installation. This system needs fewer parts to assemble while using the existing building structure as the foundation. The labor cost involved in setup also goes significantly down as compared to the ground-mounted solar panels.

Utilize Less Space

The rooftop solar panels use relatively less space. Moreover, these usually use the unused space of your home. No need to dedicate your yard to your renewable energy supply system.

Easier Getting Permits

The installation of rooftop solar panels requires relatively simple permits. All you need to do is provide the blueprints of your building indicating the stability of your roof. Additionally, you need to show that your house has wiring and electrical systems up to the given code.

Cons Of The Rooftop Solar Panels Hard To Access

When opting for the rooftop solar panel mounting option, you should consider the accessibility of your roof and your own mobility. Often unutilized rooftops are hard to access and unsafe, making the regular maintenance and repair of the solar panels challenging.

Space Constraints

Roofs are limited in space. Usually, they are 1500 square feet and most of it is already taken by chimneys and vents. Hence you can only install limited panels and expansion of the system with the rise in energy consumption is almost impossible.

Lower Output And Efficiency

The rooftop solar panels are usually less efficient as it is harder to aim them directly at the sun and translate to non-optimization of their energy-producing capabilities.

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