Ground mounting setup

[J.P.M.]

As a preliminary game plan, before you start or go further, I'd suggest you get informed.

Start by downloading and reading a free copy of "Solar Power Your Home for Dummies" from the net. Or, an updated copy is available for ~ $25 at bookstores/amazon, etc.

Solar is not rocket science, but it does take some knowledge to get is right, or close to right. Suit yourself but consider doing yourself a big favor and get informed before you start. You'll have a better system for less $$ and hassle.

Often, folks who take the time & effort to get informed discover the hype they've been fed by media and peddlers contains more than a little B.S. designed to separate fools from their money. Knowledge is power. The power to help avoid getting screwed. Read the book and get some (power that is).

Then, understand what your monthly and annual loads are, how much you pay per month and how you are billed by your POwer COompany (your "POCO").

Do all, or at least most of your energy conservation measures BEFORE any PV. Otherwise, your system will be more oversized and less cost effective than it will probably be anyway.

Also, energy saved by conservation measures is way less costly than the same amount of electricity provided by PV. Conservation also can compound the savings by allowing any subsequent and post conservation PV system to be smaller (read less expensive), resulting in more savings.

Except for A/C, use natural gas, if available, instead of electricity wherever possible. Natural gas will almost always be a way less expensive way to go now and probably for some time to come.

If you have low electricity rates, it may not make economic sense for solar or other R.E. stuff. Alternate energy is not cost effective in every situation, probably not even most.

Check your local building authority for construction and permitting requirements. Those vary by area. When dealing with inspectors, remember the 2 rules: 1.) The inspector is always right. 2.) if the inspector is wrong, see rule # 1.

Many AHJ's (Authority having Jurisdiction) can be very helpful and a real source of good information. Or your worst nightmare. Walk in or approaching them with an attitude is like putting a round in both feet. They have more bullets than you. Suit yourself on that one.

Whether required by permitting authorities or not, making sure any structure will withstand wind and seismic as well as other imposed forces and loads is one necessary design consideration of many. The construction can be DIY provided you follow sound design, drawings, bills of materials and inspection requirements. Lots of places have strong winds. There is a well developed body of knowledge to handle wind, seismic and other design loads. Like it or not, you may need a design done, or at least reviewed and stamped by a P.E. Many racking outfits have more/less std. designs or erector set type mounting systems that may be suitable.

While it seems a good idea, upsizing PV is not as good an idea or as easy as you might think. Repermitting, the end of gov. tax credits, resizing and probably replacing equipment made unsuitable by resizing, and other things often make adding to an existing system impractical and uneconomical.

Good luck.

Take what you want of the above. Scrap the rest.

[bcroe]

Distance will influence your design; here at 400VDC its some 800' from the meter to the farthest solar panel. Its
all a tradeoff between copper, voltage, and efficiency. These systems do not grow well, another plan is to
work on conserving as much energy as possible, then build solar to match. Converting as many appliances
to natural gas works, and use energy star appliances, esp the fridge. A micro inverter system might be more
expandable, but adds cost and forces you to cover some distances at lower voltages, while putting you at more
risk of high line voltage shutdown.

Panels are pretty tough, but at some level they can be destroyed by really big hail, flying objects, or wind.
But the panel cost is a relatively small part of a system; worst case some of them could be replaced if the
rest of the system survives. I have 150,000 panel days with zero damage here in NW IL. Bruce Roe

[DanS26]

The IronRidge site may help you design a ground mount that will withstand high wind loads among other engineering requirements.

[supertrucker]

What is a good design for a ground mount setup? Is there one brand that I should look into over another another? In Oklahoma I may have severe winds. Are there any considerations when wind is a factor or hail? How much distance can there be between the inverter and the panels? Is a system that tracks or is easily adjusts for different angles preferable?

My Ultimate goal is to build a small ground mounted grid tie system. I was looking for a game plan to start small and build up to something bigger that would possibly cover 100% of my usage. I average 1300kwh a month. That may be reduced because I upgraded my heating and cooling system to modern stuff. 14 seer a/c with new gas furnace. It had gas before but the furnace was 30 years old. I could probably use all LED lighting and maybe abandon the electric dryer for a gas one to further reduce my electric use. I am not sure where that will leave me as far as system size.