Mounting Solar Energy Panels

The mounting of solar energy panels is an important consideration in their installation. There are several aspects to be considered including:

1) whether to have a mounting that fixes the panels in place,

2) whether they incorporate the ability to move so that the panels can be better orientated towards the sun between seasons,

3) whether to have a mechanical sun tracking system that moves the panels with the sun during the course of the day and which varies the axis of movement depending on the time of year.

Practice has taught many home owners that the correct mounting of the solar energy panels has a definite impact on the efficiency of the system.

The inclination angle of the solar panels depends on the season and on the latitude, thus it could be closer to flat in summertime, and very steep or almost vertical in winter. Experts advise home owners to install the solar energy panels by calculating the angle with a very simple formula. In summer it's the latitude minus fifteen degrees, and in winter it is the latitude plus fifteen degrees.

There are several advantages of solar energy panels that use sun tracking. First of all, you'll notice a better power output, given the fact that the panels can face the sun almost all day long. People living closer to the equator gain a bigger advantage, but this doesn't mean the rule is not valid for the rest of the globe areas. You also see the difference in efficiency with tracking solar energy panels if you also use the system to produce heat and not just electricity.

There are nevertheless some disadvantages to the combination of solar energy panels and mechanic trackers. The major issue here is that unlike the panels that are fixed in place and require little maintenance, the trackers could be subject to regular maintenance requirements. During very windy weather you may have the problem of having the solar energy panels moved out of their correct alignment, maybe even pointing in totally the wrong direction and generating no power at all.

Furthermore, the highest efficiency of the solar energy panels is in summer time when it is very unlikely that you'll need extra electricity, unless you are powering an air conditioning system. And last but not least, the cost of a tracker is about the same as two solar energy panels, so you need to weigh up what suits your year round needs best.

Even without a sun tracking system for your solar energy panels you can still obtain very adequate results. Fixed systems can be pointed to the most favourable direction taking into account the factors prevailing in the particular location. Whether they’re your primary energy source or a supplementary source, solar energy panels are a valuable source of renewable energy almost anywhere in the world.

For more information see our beginner's guide to solar panels