Mounting Hardware

Mounting Hardware

There is practically an infinite variet of ways to mount solar solar panels. Basically whatever it takes for your particular situation from purchased equipment to any manner of DIY build it yourself. Of course in your situation requires to obtain permits and undergo inspections, then how you mount your panels will have to conform to whatever building codes apply in your region and for that you'll have to professional plans with appropriate engineering stamps on them which in turn requires that how you mount your panels will stand up to wind, rain, and snow loads, and stand up to frost, rot and other considerations in your area.

Here are some of the most common mounting locations:

• roof of a home

• ground mounts

• roof of an RV, van or truck

• sail or motor boats

Roof

Given all the different types of roofs there are, even in typical residential let alone commercial buildings, there is an equal variety of mounting hardware designed for them. The main thing that people are concerned about with their roofs is naturally any penetrations of the roofing membrane to the underlying structure, because no one wants a leaky roof either now or 20 or more years from the installation.

There are generally two types of mounts: a point/spot mount, or a rail mount.

L Brackets

L type brackets are typically used when attaching just one or two panel. You can affix an L bracket at each of the four corners of a typical rigid aluminum frame of a solar panel and then drill through the roofing membrane to the underlying joists or other attachment points and then seal them and waterproof them.

Rail Mounts

Rails mounts are used to install and connect a whole series of panels. The feet are typicall spaced out to spread the whole load across the surface, and the rails are attached to these feet and the solar panels are then mounted to the rails. Again, the feet will have to be drilled through the membrane to be affixed solidly to the underlying supportive structure like joists of a roof, and then any penetrations must be appropriately sealed and water proofed. There are many popular manufacturers such as Iron Ridge, Tamarack,  and K2 Systems.

Non-penetrative mounts

In some cases, to avoid any difficulties with penetrating the roof membrane, there are a variety of non-penetrative mounts. The mounts are typically attached the surface using a glue or epoxy.  These mounts then rely on the strength of the glue and the attachment of the membrane the underlying structure.

One popular example is the Solar Stack which can be mounted flat or at various angles.

Ground Mounts

A ground mount, as the name implies, is any structure for mounting panels to the ground. 

Fixed

Adjustable

Tracking

RV, Van, or Truck

Sail or Motor Boat

Solar Arches

Dodger

Bimini

Deck