Astyanax Whenever I’d look out the window to see the backyard that -thing- is all I’d see no matter how big the yard is. I’m very much into seamless technology where stuff works without being seen.
Ground racked panels are the go to method for many commercial/industrial/utility (CI) installations as they simplify the installation, operation and maintenance of the overall system, that stated I have seen ground mounted residential systems, but they come with problems.
Most people consider them to be an eyesore and mowing and trimming under and around them is difficult, plus if a rotary mower (very common) is used all it takes is having the mower chuck a rock or a sprinkler head into a panel destroying it.
There is also a lesser known problem with localized heating, PV panels get very hot in the full sun and that heat can make being around them uncomfortable.
Roof mounting is by far the most common in residential installations, but it comes with it’s own problems, while installers do the best they can to fasten racking to the truss’s, they do miss, when that happens all that is holding the racking is the roof sheeting and when exposed to a windstorm the racking can pull off causing severe damage to the roof.
Tile roof’s are another huge problem as the tiles must be removed to place the rack mounts and then replaced, a job that too many solar installers do not understand how to do properly.
However by far the most complicated problem is maintenance, beginning with cleaning the panels which must be done at least once a year and in some conditions more frequently, just getting someone up on a roof to clean the panels is asking for trouble, as such the job often required using, where possible extension ladders, or scaffolding, if that is not possible a extended boom bucket truck is required and that is a expensive service to pay for.
Then there are inverters, the norm a number of years back was to use micro-inverters where a single inverter would be connected to 2 or 4 panels with the output 240 VAC wired in parallel to be connected to the homes electrical system.
The problem was micro-inverters had a very high failure rate due to being mounted under the panels where they where exposed to high levels of heat, they also didn’t lend themselves well to the required rapid shut down Code requirements.
So plan B was to wire the panels in series commonly at around 500 VDC and sending that down to wall mounted inverters, but the rapid shutdown Code complicated that design as remote controlled switch’s had to be installed up in the racking to ensure after shutdown the system was not producing more than 80 VDC.
And if that wasn’t enough trouble to deal with along came rodents, which are well known for building nests under PV panels where they chew at cabling and their droppings damage roofing material, some went so far as to gnaw through asphalt shingles and move into folks attic’s.
Needless to say that created all sorts of problems for home owners.
And there is also something most homeowners do not realize, if a PV system is placed on a older roof there is a very good chance the system will have to be removed before it’s end of life to replace the roof, that is commonly the end of the system as most AHJ’s will not sign off on reinstalling used PV panels.