How To Mount Solar Panels
Once the decision is made to install solar panels, one must determine how to mount them effectively. The mounting system should be simple, reliable, and provide for all your performance needs.
Solar panels are often mounted on roof tops, because the roof structure is strong and already exists. If your roof is sloped in the right direction, then how convenient this is. And convenience is a legitimate player in any decision making process.
As natives of northern and higher altitude climates, we discovered a couple issues that pushed our solar panel installation in a different way. We've been working on ideas to improve the convenience, flexibility, and performance of a basic solar power system.
The first thing to think about is snow. Every time snow gets on the solar panels, they have to be cleaned or they won't put out much electricity. If your solar panels are mounted to your roof then you can imagine this difficulty.
As machine designers, we decided to tackle this problem common for us in the mountain regions. We don't mind the snow, but the last thing on our minds is climbing the roof in Winter. So we developed the Rotek system, a simple mechanism for mounting solar panels that will improve performance and take on the snow.
In a Rotek installation, the solar panels are mounted on a ground based structure instead of the roof. This provides the clearances for adjustability, so that we can rotate the solar panels in any way. With this in place we can make seasonal adjustments to match the Sun.
The true advantage of this can be tapped during the Winter months. The solar panels can be steeply pitched or angled toward the ground, a negative tilt, so the snow cannot build on the photovoltaic surface. This rotational capability is also good for polishing the glass and general maintenance.
Many of us know that orienting the panel with a negative tilt is not the best thing for tracking the Sun. But keep in mind the snow pack's high reflectivity. As long as the ground has snow cover, the panels will receive this reflected radiation. The losses, therefore, are not that great. Whether after a snow storm, or after the worst weeks of Winter are done, the solar panels can be oriented back to the normal tracking angle whenever desired.
A second important consideration with solar panels is heat. Roof top structures will accumulate heat, and so roof mounted photovoltaics will tend to run warm. This is a disadvantage, at higher operating temperatures solar panels create less electricity. The ideal environment for a solar panel is something cool.
Remotely mounted solar panels with Rotek system will dissipate heat, run cooler, and give you better performance. This is because of fresh air circulating on the back end, instead of a warm insulated roof. This reduced operating temperature will also decrease wear and tear and help increase the longevity of your system.
So now that the decision is made to install your solar panel system, you must choose a mounting configuration. The roof mounted options are simple and in many cases a good choice. For those who want a little more performance and design flexibility, the Rotek system is a reliable and inexpensive alternative worthy of consideration.
