Structure
Mounting & Racking
Roof racking is cheapest and couples the array's life to the roof's. Ground mounts cost roughly double and let you set optimal tilt, which matters most where winter production is the constraint.
What to compare
- Matched to your roof material — tile, asphalt and standing-seam metal all differ
- Flashing quality, which is what decides whether it leaks
- Adjustable tilt if winter output matters
- Wind and snow load rating for your area
How to size it
Allow roughly 21 square feet per residential module, then add spacing for the racking and for access. The harder constraint is usually structural rather than spatial: a roof must carry the array's dead load plus wind uplift and, in snow country, snow load — figures set by local code, not by preference. Ground mounts avoid the roof question entirely and are easier to clean and service, at the cost of land, trenching and a longer cable run.
Mistakes that cost money
- Treating flashing as an afterthought
- Roof penetrations are the part of a solar installation that fails expensively. The mount must match the roof material — tile, asphalt shingle and standing-seam metal all attach differently — and standing-seam metal often takes clamps needing no penetration at all.
- Ignoring wind uplift
- An array is a sail. Attachment spacing is set by wind load for your area, and the coastal and high-plains figures are far higher than most people assume. This is a code requirement, not a recommendation.
- Mounting flush in snow country
- Panels at a shallow pitch hold snow, and a covered panel produces nothing for weeks. More tilt sheds snow and improves winter sun angle, at the cost of more wind load.
- Forgetting rapid shutdown
- Roof arrays in most of the United States must meet NEC rapid-shutdown requirements, which affects module-level electronics and therefore what racking and equipment you can use. Worth knowing before ordering, not after.
Options
No mounting & racking listed yet. We only list components we can price and specify accurately, and we are still onboarding retailers for this category.
The guides below cover how to choose one in the meantime — they are what we would tell you before recommending any specific product.