10 Things to Consider When Buying solar farm mounting system

A lot of people ultimately decide to go solar because the math works out over the long term. But to figure that out, you must first determine what your system should cost up front.

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The answer to that question: It’s complicated, and it depends.

When Larry Gawel and his wife installed solar at their Lincoln, Nebraska, home in , the system cost about $18,000. The system has since provided for almost all their electrical needs, including heating and cooling. Recently their retirement planner asked for a summary of their utility bills and assumed that the figure they gave him was per month. “I told him no, that’s an entire year,” Gawel said.

At the other end of the range is the Central Florida home of Erik Erickson, Wirecutter’s director of platform engineering. To manage hurricane threats and routine power outages, Erik has specced out a slightly oversize solar array coupled to four backup batteries. Capable of powering the home if the grid goes down for a week or more, the system will come in at about $68,000.

The average price falls somewhere in between. The median price of a US residential solar installation was $4.20 per watt in (down from $14 in ), and such a system produced 7.2 kilowatts, according to a report from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (PDF). (That number skews low because California installs the most residential systems, but they’re relatively small; other states average above 8 kilowatts.) That works out to a total cost of about $30,240.

EnergySage, a “solar matchmaker” whose expertise we’ve highlighted before, has a detailed chart of state-by-state average costs that may give you a rough idea of what to expect for your home. Just be aware that the results shown there are limited to an average system size installed in that state, which may not match your own needs, and the figures are lower by about 25% than the numbers in the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory report. In part, this is because EnergySage factors in savings that you can get only if you use EnergySage to connect with contractors in your area.

The federal government will subsidize 30% of the cost of your solar project.

The Inflation Reduction Act of made several important changes to how federal solar tax credits work. For one, it extended the credit for years, until ; it also raised the rebate to 30% of the total cost of installation until , after which it tails off to 26% and 22% the next two years.

There’s no cap to the cost, either—whether you pay $10,000 or $100,000 for your solar project, you get the full value of the credit.

In a sense, that may be all that you as a homeowner need to know. You have a long window in which to decide whether to go solar, where you can be confident of writing off 30% of the total cost. Your up-front costs will be reduced by almost a third, and you’ll recoup your investment that much faster.

Significantly, you can spread the credit across as many as the next five years of tax returns. This option is designed to maximize the credit’s benefits, since not every household will owe 30% of their project cost in taxes in the year of installation.

The Inflation Reduction Act also improves certainty and long-term planning in the solar industry itself, said Joe Lipari, vice president of projects at Brooklyn SolarWorks. “We always joke and call it the ‘solar coaster’ because so much of it is really influenced by political whims,” he said. “What the IRA did was provide certainty that this is an incentive that’s going to be here to stay… We’re so accustomed to, ‘It’s going to expire next year. Sign up now. Get it while you can. It’s never going to get better.’ It changes the mindset.”

And that should help smaller, customer-oriented local solar contractors—such as Brooklyn SolarWorks—stick around.

We strongly recommend working with such a contractor, versus a large national firm whose business model, as detailed by Alana Semuels in Time, prioritizes sales over service. (In Semuels’s words, “National solar companies essentially became finance companies that happened to sell solar.”) Tellingly, the first of the “40 Questions to Ask an Installer” suggested by the nonprofit American Solar Energy Society are “What year was your company established?” and “Where are its offices?”

Many states, municipalities, and utilities have their own incentive programs that will further reduce your costs, often significantly. For example, Wirecutter editor-in-chief Ben Frumin got an additional 19% of his solar installation subsidized by New York programs.

DSIRE, the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency, makes it easy to find programs in your area using just your zip code. California, Minnesota, New York, and Texas have more than 100, and most states have at least several dozen. You still have to read through the descriptions of the individual programs to find those that apply to you (some have qualifying restrictions, such as income level), but having all of them gathered in one place for research purposes is a big help.

Any contractors you speak with should also be familiar with the programs you likely qualify for—after all, it’s in their own self-interest to help bring you to the decision to go solar—and if they are not, consider that a warning flag. Confirm that the contractors are authorized to submit proof-of-work statements to the utilities and agencies that handle the incentive programs, as well, since you’ll need that for your claims.

Installers may offer rates that are lower than banks’ too, which will lower your monthly payments, though likely not your total outlay.

“We try to make sure that we are very transparent with the customers as to what that looks like,” said J.W. Peters, co-founder of Solar Power of Oklahoma, one of the state’s oldest installers. “We have some options that are a 25-year loan at a 4.9% interest. But that loan product actually costs us more money to be able to offer to that homeowner. And so therefore, our cost estimate adjusts our baseline costs to adjust for that as well.”

You may find that it makes sense to put up some of the payment in cash. Wirecutter’s Erik Erickson carefully considered his options when working out the cost for his system. Eliminating his family’s monthly $415 electricity bill was a top priority, and “basically I’m getting down to $415 a month [in finance payments] if I put $7,000 down on top,” he said, “which is a chunk of change and was one of the biggest reasons I took a month to deliberate, because this doesn’t pencil out without extra money down.”

In the long run, it almost certainly will.

The tax credit is effectively a direct price cut on the cost of going solar. But solar installations also generally pay for themselves over time, through a combination of lowering your electricity bills and a process known as net metering.

Unless you plan to install storage batteries, even after going solar you’ll use power from the electrical grid at night, when your solar panels are producing nothing. And in high-demand periods—often summer or winter, when you’re cooling or heating your home, respectively—you may draw some electricity from the grid during the daytime, too.

Usually, you’ll still get a bill from your utility every month.

But much of the time, your system will produce more electricity than you need—weekdays when nobody is at home, for example, or shoulder months like March or April, when your area has a ton of sunlight and you’re not blasting your electricity-sucking air conditioner.

That excess power will go back onto the grid for other customers to use, and your utility will give you credit for the value of that power on your next billing cycle. That’s net metering, and with a well-designed system it means you’ll wind up paying very little for your electricity over the course of a year.

Over time, the money you save will more than cover the cost of the system and any loan interest.

However, it’s important to know how your utility calculates net metering, because that’s key to figuring out how fast you’ll see a return on your solar investment.

Knowing who provides your power and how the utility’s net metering works will make you a shrewder judge of contractors when you’re seeking bids.

Who provides the home’s electricity is one of the first questions Solar Power of Oklahoma’s J.W. Peters asks of prospective customers. Like most states, Peters explained, Oklahoma is served by a mix of publicly owned utilities, municipally owned utilities, and member-owned cooperatives. They use different net metering rates and credit structures—and some don’t offer net metering, period.

“We need to know who they have so I can figure that into the calculations,” Peters said. “We’ve seen a lot of kind [of] fly-by-night, door-to-door-salesman-type people coming in and knocking on doors in neighborhoods that know nothing about the utility structure in that area. They’re selling people systems, and in some cases even installing them, under false pretenses of what that system will do for those customers.” In the worst cases, he said, people have had solar installed, only to learn that they are not allowed to connect to the grid at all—so when the sun goes down, their home doesn’t have electricity.

Tom Broderick of Flagstaff, Arizona, talked to four installers when he was going solar in . “One of them knew what he was talking about—one,” he said. “Some of them said some really dumb things, and I didn’t call them on it, because I wanted to give them the opportunity to say more dumb things and find out what they really knew and what they really didn’t.”

Think like him. Understand your utility’s net metering program before seeking bids, and as Broderick emphasized, “Look at multiple installers. Get references. Check their business record with the Better Business Bureau. How long have they been in business? Are they certified?” Ideally that would mean certified by NABCEP, the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners.

Anyone researching this topic has likely stumbled upon some free online cost estimators, such as EnergySage’s tool.

Through that estimator, EnergySage calculates your potential lifetime savings from going solar based on your address and current monthly electricity bills, after which it solicits free bids from licensed and vetted solar contractors.

Another estimator, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s PVWatts, calculates your potential solar-energy production based on your address and roof size.

There’s also DSIRE, the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency, which lists potential sources of low-interest loans, rebates, and other incentives for going solar based on your zip code.

Such cost estimators certainly help. But the reality is that to truly get a sense of the cost and value, you have to decide what you want solar to do for you—what you value most among the many benefits it can bring—and then work within your means to get a system that meets your needs.

Absolutely.

You can do a lot of things to lower your energy bills and carbon footprint that, happily, cost much less than a solar installation.

Consider community solar. You effectively pay for panels that are installed at a solar-production facility. They supply electricity to the grid at large, and you get a credit on your energy bill, much as you would with a system you installed at your house, but the household disruption and soft costs are eliminated.

Community solar is expanding rapidly, with annual growth more than doubling nationwide every year since . “Community solar has been a major driver of opening market access for folks, particularly people for whom residential solar isn’t financially or logistically feasible,” said Gilbert Michaud, assistant professor of environmental policy at Loyola University Chicago and policy division chair of the American Solar Energy Society.

At the end of , the baseline year of the most recent National Renewable Energy Laboratory report (PDF), community solar facilities totalling more than 6 gigawatts of capacity had been installed in 43 states and Washington, DC, with a third of that capacity installed in alone.

However, the distribution of community solar is uneven, with four states—Florida, New York, Minnesota, and Massachusetts—accounting for 75% of it (in terms of wattage) and the top 10 states accounting for more than 90%. Depending on where you live, you may have to do some legwork to find a local project to invest in.

Finally, and for older homes especially, relatively inexpensive upgrades to things like insulation and weather sealing can lower utility bills substantially. We cover many of the options in detail in our guide to home weatherizing. And Michaud pointed out that they too are supported by the Inflation Reduction Act—as part of the $8.8 billion Home Energy Rebates program—and by many state and local programs as well.

When I spoke with Iain Walker of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in , he brought up a way of thinking about green technology that stuck with me.

There are dollar savings to consider, he said, and there are carbon savings—and sometimes the two don’t quite add up. A new induction stove would cost him considerably more in electricity each month than his old stove would cost him in gas, he said by way of an example. But its carbon footprint would be much lower, and that in itself is valuable to him.

Homeowner Tom Broderick told us, “[My] motivation is mainly climate change and doing something about it at my personal level,” but “it did matter that through my retirement, my costs would be lower for electricity.”

Homeowner Larry Gawel is pleased that he’s saving money and emissions at the same time: “Both of them are important to me.”

You will get efficient and thoughtful service from Yijia.

Wirecutter’s Erik Erickson plans to add an EV charger (and an EV) to his system, but “in a few years, after this is all through, because this is the most expensive project we’ve ever done.”

For homeowner Tom Lee, the initial decision to go solar—in Los Angeles, back in —was basically a dollars-and-cents matter. He was already doing a major home renovation, so it was a sensible time to get the installation done. The system was not cheap, at around $60,000, but “this house was going to be my forever house, so I figured it’s a good idea, right?” he said. “Especially with all this money coming back to me [from rebates and utility savings].”

But as time and technology moved forward 15 years, so did his appreciation for what he’d done. “I feel proud that I’m a solar owner,” he said.

This article was edited by Harry Sawyers and Ben Frumin.

As the industry has expanded rapidly in recent years, the technology used to mount solar panels to residential rooftops has experienced incredible innovation and rapid growth. Solar panel mounting systems are now available for all kinds of roofs, from asphalt shingles to clay tiles, to standing seam metal, and everything in between.

Modern solar mounting systems consist of roof attachments (with or without flashing), mounting rails, and module clamps. These products are designed to allow workers to quickly and effectively install solar panels that will last for decades on the roof, with minimal effect on the roofing materials and no roof leaks. Ground-mounted racks are also available.

There are many options 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.

Below is our expert review of solar panel mounting solutions, which highlights the top three solar panel mount brands, and discusses the pros and cons of rooftop solar systems versus ground-mounted systems.

See how much solar panels will cost for your home

What is solar panel mounting and racking?

Solar panel mounts and racks are equipment that secures 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.

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. 

While many manufacturers produce solar panel mounts, only a handful of companies come out on top when it comes to quality. You can’t really go wrong with IronRidge, Quick Mount and Unirac, but we will walk you through the pros and cons of each brand.

Which roof mount brands are best?

The top two high-quality solar mounting and racking brands are:

• Ironridge

• Unirac 

Ironridge

Originally, IronRidge supported mostly small, off-grid projects. But today, IronRidge is known for its uniquely shaped and durable XR rail series for pitched roofs. They have equally great options for flat roofs and ground mounts, as well.

Unirac 

Unirac sells mounts for flat roofs and fixed-tilt ground-mount frames. Unirac’s solar mounts each come with different tilts, allowing the direction of the solar array to be independent of the angle of the roof, ensuring the best productivity.

Each brand offers no obvious weaknesses, and each offers very innovative mounting and racking kits to meet most solar needs. 

You can buy any option through a local solar equipment supplier for DIY projects. But if you work with a solar installer, they will buy the panel mounts for you since they know what will work best with your roof and solar panels. 

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. 

If you are not purchasing a kit, you can browse racking equipment on the AltE 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. 

Get a free quote from top-rated installers near you

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:

1. They have insufficient roof space

2. Their roof faces north - which is bad for panel output

3. 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. 

The best options for ground mounts also come from the top brands, Ironridge and Unirac.

Ironridge Ground Mount Systems 

These are built to be long-lasting, flexible, and withstand any weather. They also come with a 25-year warranty. 

Pricing is difficult to pinpoint because it will depend on the size of your solar array, costs of material at the time of purchase, and the fact that many suppliers ask that you request a quote.

Unirac Ground Fixed Tilt 

The Unirac Ground Fixed Tilt is another great choice - it is durable and lightweight and also has a 25-year warranty. Unirac ensures fast shipping times and ease of construction. You can work with a licensed solar installer to determine which ground mount system is best for your terrain and solar panels. 

How much will a solar panel system plus racking and mounting cost?

Including racking and mounting, an average 6kW solar system would cost about $18,000 given the US average solar panel cost of about $3.00 per watt as of January . After applying the federal solar tax credit of 30%, that works out to $12,600.

It is up to you and your energy needs whether or not you want to install solar tracking systems, but generally, installing either roof or ground-mounted solar panels will work for any home. 

Working with licensed installers is the best way to determine which solar panel mount system will work best for your roof. If you research mount brands and have a preference, you can discuss your options with your solar installer. Enter your zip code below to find out the potential savings for installing solar panels with solar panel mounts on your home.

For more information, please visit solar farm mounting system.