In recent years, buying solar panels has become easier, due to the availability of reviews comparing solar panels, solar installers, and solar inverters. However, it remains challenging to find helpful information on solar panel racking and mounting systems.

Solar panel mounts are integral to your solar panel system. There are many variations available for what you need, no matter your roof style or ground mounting system necessities. Your solar installer will know the best option to get the most use out of your solar system.

What is solar panel mounting and racking?

Solar panel mounts and racks are equipment that secure solar panels in place.

Mounting allows the panels to be adjusted for optimal tilt, which can be based on latitude, seasons, or even time of day — to ensure maximum solar energy production. The most common locations for mounting are on the roof, using solar roof mounts, or on the ground with ground-mount options.

In terms of cost, mounts and racking typically account for about 10% of the total cost of an average solar system. For example, if your solar system cost $10,000, the racking system portion would be about $1,000 of the total cost.

The price will depend on the type of racking you use, the amount of equipment needed, and labor costs for installation.

The most common technique of module mounting is using a solar panel mounting bracket. Mounting brackets are heavy-duty equipment, usually made from stainless steel or aluminum. All solar racking and mounting products, whether for the rooftop or ground, must meet strict guidelines to ensure durability and structural integrity to withstand high winds and weather events.

Next, we will walk you through the main components that make up racking equipment so you can better understand the structure that will support your solar panels.

Which ground-mount system is best?

A problem with rooftop solar is that it’s heavily constrained by the characteristics of your roof. Homeowners who install ground-mounted solar panels do so for one of three reasons:

They have insufficient roof space

Their roof faces north - which is bad for panel output

They want to optimize the performance of their system

What are the most important components of a racking system?

Solar panel racking equipment is built with 3 main components:

Roof attachments

Module clamps

Mounting rails

Each tool plays a key role in how the structure supports your panels, to ensure you get the most amount of solar power out of them.

Roof attachments

The roof attachments are the fasteners that will be drilled into your roof in order to secure the racking system in place.

The holes these drills create will be surrounded by ‘flashing’, which is a plastic or metal shield that is inserted between shingles to prevent water from getting into the hole. However, roof attachments differ for each roof type.

To dig a little deeper, take a look at more information on installing solar panels on clay tile roofs, metal roofs, and flat surface roofs.

Module clamps

The module clamps attach the drilled-in roof attachments to the mounting rails. There are a few different module clamp types for each angle and corner of the solar panel.

Mounting rails

After drilling into the roof, the roof attachments are then connected to mounting rails via module clamps that will then support the solar panels.

Although there are railless racking options available, rails are most commonly used because they can be secured to most roof angles, and because many installers are trained using rail mounting systems.

Where to buy solar panel mounts

Tackling a solar panel project DIY-style can make things a bit more complicated. Most of the time, you cannot go out and buy a fully-constructed solar panel mount system. You need to buy each individual part separately to then form a complete mount. If DIY is the route you want to go, buying entire solar panel kits with their corresponding racking solutions makes things easier.

you also can browse racking equipment on the our website and purchase the different components that make up the racking system. Just make sure they are the proper size for the solar panels you purchase.

The best way to make ensure your solar installation goes off without a hitch (and uses the proper equipment suited for your specific roof) is to work with a licensed solar installer.

Which ground-mount system is best?

A problem with rooftop solar is that it’s heavily constrained by the characteristics of your roof. Homeowners who install ground-mounted solar panels do so for one of three reasons:

They have insufficient roof space

Their roof faces north - which is bad for panel output

They want to optimize the performance of their system

Solar panels produce the most energy when they’re facing south. Depending on the orientation of your house, this isn’t always an option. On a roof, there might be further limitations like shade from surrounding buildings and trees.

Options to choose from include ground mounts that can be secured into the ground or ballasted mounts. Ballasted mounts sit on top of the ground and are not secured in - but are held down by the weight of the panels themselves. Ballasted ground mounts tend to be more popular since there is no drilling required for installation.

Power-conducting films that could be stuck to any surface under the sun are coming. Will that get us the solar power we need?

Solar power plants could everywhere if two things were to fall precipitously: the cost of making solar cells and the price to install them. The first is actually falling fast (about 6% annually since 1998), but remains higher than equivalent fossil fuel energy in most places. The second is also distressingly high for those who want to see solar power rout coal and gas in today’s energy markets. So to make solar boosters’ dream come true, tomorrow’s solar panels must be printed on cheap, durable materials that can be installed anywhere sunlight is bound to strike them.

New research from around the world is driving us ever closer to that goal, says Silvija Gradecak, a materials science and engineering professor at MIT. And her lab, among others, is now releasing the bendy, peel-and-stick solar panels to prove it.

The slope of this improvement is very high.

“There was a significant effort to develop these type of devices [in the last few years], and the slope of this improvement is very high,” says Gradecak. “In just a couple of years, power conversion efficiency [of new flexible solar cells] has gone from less than 0.1 percent to 5% to 7%. And it’s just a couple of years of work. We’re learning the basic principles … and we have a clear path to improve them even further.”