Solar Panels – Sand Hill Texas

When you decide to get solar panels, you’ve got to figure out where to put them. You can expect to pay $25-$100 per panel to set them up in a way that will tolerate our wind.

The first question is roof or ground mount?

You can search on YouTube for much more detailed information on this choice. Below are a few key considerations that come to my mind.

Ground Mounts

It’s generally considered best to put them on the ground if you have a sunny open space to put them. Here in Texas we like some shade near the house which is in conflict with the full-sun goals of solar panels. A ground array and be parked a little ways away from the house in full sun at the optimal South or Southwest facing direction and the ideal pitch for our latitude which is 28.1 degrees for a fixed array.

Pro
- Easier to clean them 4-6 times per year…like when pine pollen coats everything.
- More efficient in the summer because they can run cooler than roof mounted panels.
- If we happen to get snow, you can get the snow off them without risking your life.
- A “hybrid” idea like a solar pergola or a solar carport or other shade structure can still be low enough to maintain, but up off the ground so it serves another purpose.
Con
- Ground-mounting costs about $100 per panel for commercial racking mounted on concrete. There are wood DIY versions that should work fine, but you do need to plan for the winds we get around here.
- You need some open space.
- You’ll need to keep the grass and weeds away from the panels either with some sort of weed barrier and gravel or faithful weed whacking.
- You’ll need to bury the cable from the house to the solar array, so you’ll need a backhoe or trencher and maybe authorization from your spouse to carve up the yard.

Roof Mounts

Pro
- Ideal if you’re surrounded by trees, but have an unobstructed South-facing roof slope.
- Costs only about $20 per panel for “mini-rail” system.
- Routing wires into your house is simple…no trenching, etc.
- You don’t have to weed whack around them.
Con
- They get VERY hot on your roof in the summer which makes them less efficient.
- Easy to avoid cleaning them so you lose some efficiency.
- Remember Snowmageddon? You’ll want your solar working, and you’ll need a plan to get the snow off them.
- You need to have enough roof area to lay panels down and be able to walk along one side of every panel. That takes up more area than you might think, so you have to plan it out. The panels can all go the same way or they can be laid perpendicular to each other to fit the space if it doesn’t bother your OCD.
- You attach the anchors using standard roofing methods so they should not leak, but you will be drilling dozens of holes in your roof…just sayin’.