Learn About Ground Solar Pole Mounting Structures
A mounting structure serves as the backbone of your solar system. It securely anchors solar panels across different settings, such as on roofs, parking areas, or bodies of water. If roof space proves limited or unsuitable, you can consider using pole-mounted solar panels on the ground.
Ensuring your panel frame is installed correctly is key to maintaining your solar system's efficiency. This blog post will help you better understand ground solar pole mounting structures.
What is a Mounting Structure for Solar Panels?
While the upper and lower layers of your solar panels consist of toughened glass, they remain susceptible to damage if not mounted properly. Solar panel mounting structures provide a secure, elevated platform for your panels. These structures typically employ corrosion-resistant metal components like flashings, rails, clamps, and screws. You'll find various types of mounting systems available, each tailored to specific applications and energy generation needs.
Regarding the types of solar mounting systems, we recommend you read: Different Types of Solar Mounting Structures
Solar Pole Mounting Structures
Source: dimensions.com
Pole mounting solar panels maximizes sunlight exposure but often needs a significant amount of land, making it more common for commercial, agricultural, or large residential properties. These professionally pole-mounted systems can significantly lower energy costs or completely power your property.
Top-of-pole mounts come in sizes from 1 to 24 modules, covering a maximum of 260 square feet. The angle of these panels ranges from 10 to 40 degrees, with structures typically made from steel or aluminum. The design of the rack depends on the module area rather than the number of modules.
A pole-mounted setup provides an alternative to rooftop installations, offering more flexibility in placement and orientation. Incorporating an automatic tracker into this system greatly increases its efficiency by optimizing sunlight exposure, enhancing power output.
Advantages of Pole Mounting
Pole mounting stands out as a simple and effective method for solar installation. If your property includes available outdoor areas, this approach offers the flexibility to utilize that space effectively for energy generation. Unlike roof-mounted systems, which may present limitations on panel quantity and optimal angling, pole mounting provides greater latitude in system design and placement.
Installing a pole mount solar system is also advantageous because it can accommodate sun tracking technology, ensuring your panels receive the most sunlight throughout the day, thereby increasing productivity. Since the panels are elevated, maintaining and cleaning them becomes much more manageable. Additionally, the increased airflow around elevated panels typically enhances system performance.
Disadvantages of Pole Mounting
Pole mounting may not suit every solar installation due to its need for unused land, making it impractical in densely populated urban areas. The visual impact of larger pole-mounted arrays can also be a concern, and their use is sometimes subject to local regulations or homeowner association restrictions.
You should also factor in the higher initial cost of pole-mounted systems, attributable to the additional hardware required. Despite this, the additional expenditure can be justified by the enhanced power generation capabilities of the system.
Planning Your Pole Mount Installation
Source: MTSOLAR
A site evaluation is really important before you start installing a solar system. During this step, the installer and the customer will discuss the project's specifics, including the system's location and design.
The main goal of the site evaluation is to understand your customer's needs. Their preferences and requirements shape the design and setup of the solar system. For example, if preserving certain trees is important to the customer, the solar array must be planned around these trees. This includes assessing how much shade the trees cast, which will affect the placement and efficiency of the solar panels.
If you want to learn about professional ground pole mount installation tips and best practices, please refer to: https://www.mtsolar.us/pole-mount-installation-guide/
Elevated Dual-axis Solar Trackers
High Pole Dual-axis Trackers
The dual-axis system mounts solar panels on a high pole and tracks the sun throughout the day. A dual-axis solar tracker boosts annual output by about 40% compared to a fixed solar system.
A single-axis tracker adjusts your PV panels along one horizontal or vertical direction. In contrast, dual-axis systems feature two axes of movement. The primary axis shifts the panels from east to west, while the secondary axis enables movement from north to south.
This dual-axis functionality enables your PV panels to track the sun's position throughout the day, maintaining a perpendicular orientation and capturing maximum sunlight from any angle—east, west, north, or south.
This video will help you learn more about dual-axis trackers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dp46Fd6L4Wg
How Can We Help?
Mibet delivers high-quality, reliable PV mounts and systems for large-scale solar power plants worldwide.
If you are looking to harness sustainable energy, pole-mounted solar panels are just one of the options available. We can evaluate your site along with your needs to determine the most suitable ground mounting system for your situation. Should pole mounting not suit your needs, we present several other options, ensuring you make an informed and thoughtful decision.
