Welcome to the world of solar panel mounts! This is an appendage no ground-installed solar energy unit can stand on its feet, literally. Read on to discover what these support systems are, and how they can be useful to your solar energy installation
Solar panel mounts are an important accessory of a solar energy unit. As a perfunctory reading of this much makes clear, a mount is part of a solar energy system that is meant for enabling the unit to stand up on its own. It plays no other role, in that it is not used for performing the essential function of a solar energy unit, which is to receive solar energy and convert it into electrical energy for use in the household or hotel or office or whichever structure it is installed into. To take our understanding of this accessory a little further; let us get a little creative and take our minds to those drawing boards that artists use. While the huge board helps them express their talent in the standing posture, what makes this possible by holding the board in place is the mount. This is exactly how we can understand the solar energy mount, too. So, this much again makes clear that this mount is only for solar energy units that are installed on the ground, and not for those that are installed on roofs, which are built into the roof and don’t need this kind of support.
Solar panel mounts have traditionally been classified under some types. The most common type used for small purpose uses like houses is the flush type. This kind of mount is uncomplicated and humble in its operation and structure. This is a set that has a couple of metal ends or holding pans for the unit. The panel is held in place when these ends are fastened to either end, much like braces that hold something in place. As we just saw, this kind of mount is suited for small panels, because it is not possible or feasible to hold very wide-stretching panels with just these types of supporting hinges. While these are inexpensive; they are pretty much inconvenient because of their lack of customizability. Once installed, these mounts stay put, come rain or shine!
Solar panel mounts are also available in another kind –the universal type. This genus enjoys this name because as opposed to the earlier kind we just discussed about; these are more flexible and versatile. In having the ability for being installed both on the ground and on the roof, the universal type certainly does not suffer from a misnomer. Another area in which kind of mounts differs from the flush one is its suitability for huger applications. In fact, in the early years of the invention of the solar energy system, it was common to see both the roofs and the ground in many American towns and cities having clusters of these mounts, all meant to serve groups of houses and neighborhoods. This sight has almost faded into oblivion now, though.
Finally, there is what is called the pole mount. This kind of mount differs from the other two kinds of mounts in that it adjusts itself to the intensity of the sun and takes the most out of sunlight. In their ability make the optimal use of sunlight, pole mounts are considered the latest (as of now) variety of panel mounts.