We do a lot of ground mount systems each year, and over the last year or so we did an even higher percentage than usual.
The list below features a dozen recent ground mount systems – ten as part of battery backup (bimodal) systems. Ground mounts are a particularly good option for battery backup systems ( see reason 2 below).
- 36 module system – New Martinsville, WV
- 44 module system – Williamsport, MD
- 48 module system – Sharpsburg, MD
- 28 module system – Greenbrier County, WV
- 20 module system – Monroe County, WV
- 24 Module system – Harrisonburg, VA
- 45 module system – Hagerstown, MD
- 24 module system – Shepherdstown, WV
- 32 module system – Romney, WV
- 20 module system – Rockport, WV
- 44 module system – Orange, VA
- 36 module system – White Sulphur Springs, WV
While I encourage people with the property to at least consider a ground mount system, some installation companies take an opposite view. (This may have less to do with the merits of ground mounts and more because they haven’t invested in equipment needed for trenching for wire runs and augering for pier holes.)
Of course, ground mounts aren’t an option for everyone, but for those with enough property they offer two major advantages over roof mounts (to say nothing of a lot more minor ones):
- Most roofs are not perfectly oriented to the sun path. You can precisely orient a ground-mounted array for maximum production, which you obviously can’t do with a house. Over time, the production difference will be significant.
- After a big snowfall, you can clear the snow off your ground-mounted array so it starts generating electricity to power appliances (and charge backup batteries, if you have them). When you consider how many snowstorms produce power outages, this can be a very big deal.