As spring brings warmer days and sunshine, our solar installation crews are busy installing more ground-mounted solar systems around Illinois and the Midwest. A major portion of our business these days is mounting solar panels on a variety of ground mounted solar racking systems. If you have some ground to work with, mounting solar on the ground is a great option and offers several advantages for home, farm, or commercial business.
Here are the top 3:
- Improved Energy Production per Area of Solar Panel:
- Most ground mounts are tilted at 30 degrees whereas most roofs range from flat to 20 degrees or less. At latitude angles crossing the Midwest, a solar panel tilted at 30 degrees will yield greater energy production per year compared to the same panel mounted at a lower slope.
- Solar Panel Cells Operate More Efficiently:
- Ground mounted panels are better ventilated compared to roof-mounted solar arrays that are typically a few inches above the roof deck. When roofs and solar panels absorb radiant energy during the day, they can easily heat up to temperatures well above 100 degrees. With most solar panels, power output can be somewhat diminished when the cells operate under extreme temperature conditions. With ground mounted solar, they are well ventilated on the front and back helping to keep cell temperature lower and energy production high.
- Lower Maintenance Cost / Easier Serviceability:
- While solar systems are typically low maintenance, keep in mind they are intended to operate for 30 years or longer. Many solar systems feature power optimizers or microinverters mounted directly behind panels. The system inverters for ground mounts are often mounted behind the array and kept shaded and protected from direct sunlight. With panels, inverters, racking, optimizers or microinverters all located on the ground, the ease of service is greatly improved compared to a roof mounted array.
- Roof replacement – when the time to upgrade or replace the roof occurs, when panels are mounted on the ground, removing and re-install panels becomes a non-issue.
There are many more reasons why customers choose ground-mounted solar panel systems. The availability of ground is often a key decider. If ground and roof space both exists, then the Top 3 reasons above can help the decision-making process. In Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri, ground-mounted solar panels are very popular, and Tick Tock Energy provides high quality ground mounted solar installations for all type of properties.
604 kW (DC) Ground Mounted Solar Array at Tuscola Stone Company – Tuscola, IL
For more info on ground-mounted solar panels, refer to the Ground Mounted Solar Array page on our website:
Also, several examples of small and large residential and commercial projects are available at these links:
Small residential ground mount near Pana, IL
Large residential ground mount near Hutsonville, IL
Commercial ground mount at Centralia car dealership
Commercial ground mount at Country Bob’s Steak Sauce Factory
This year, it’s time to give a big “Thumbs Up for Solar!” ® with ground-mounted solar solutions from Tick Tock Energy. If would like a free evaluation if ground-mounted solar panels are right for your property, give us a call today at 217-994-9020.