There are many reasons why using solar energy to power your home is a worthwhile addition. For example, solar can potentially save you money. It also can reduce your carbon footprint. It can better the environment. And it can be installed just about anywhere.
While most of our customers opt to get solar installed on the roof of their homes, you may wonder whether solar panels can be placed on other structures on your property, such as a garage (attached or detached), barn or shed. The answer to all of those is yes! And we even install on structures called ground mounts. Below are some photographic examples of the various ways POWERHOME SOLAR can install solar panels on your property. Remember, when having solar installed, it’s important that a professional determines where solar panels can gather the most sunlight. That’s where we enter into the equation. And while we’re a little biased, we’ll even tell you that solar looks great even on the front of homes!
Solar panels can be installed on your garage
An attached or detached garage can be a great alternative to a roof installation for solar panels. For example, this 22-panel array on the detached double garage to our right displays plenty of space for a solar installation. Additionally, because this array is south facing, the panels are getting the maximum amount of sunlight. If your home has roof sections that face east and west, that’s how leveraging a structure like a garage (that may have a different orientation) can be of significant benefit.
A storage unit, barn or shed can make for a perfect spot for your solar panels
For homeowners that have a barn, storage building, or large shed on their property, adding solar panels to those structures are also within the realm of something we can do. Like any installation, it’s important there is enough space to do a proper install. The picture to our right shows a sleek, clean installation on a large storage building.
What’s great about a structure like this is that it doesn’t have any roof penetrations to work around, such as a chimney or skylight. That allows customers to fully deck out the roof with solar. As you can see, the solar panels almost look like part of the roof itself. Pretty great job by our team on the array here!
Ground-mount installations produce great results too
Ground-mount installations are perhaps the best way to get as much solar energy as possible. This is because we can predetermine the angle and location of the solar system ahead of time, increasing the amount of sunlight your panels can gather. Depending on the size of your yard, a ground-mounted solar array may give you the opportunity to have more panels than you could fit on your roof.
Generally, ground-mounted solar arrays are best for those who have enough land. So if you live in a rural area, you likely will have more reason to consider a ground-mounted array.
How does the solar energy get to my home?
If you decide to go with one of these installations, the solar energy still has to flow to your home in order to power it. We accomplish this through trenching. Our installation crew will use a trencher to dig a trench and run conduit containing the electrical wires underground. This allows energy to travel safely to your home, and the conduit protects the wiring from being damaged should you accidentally hit it.
Once your solar panels absorb the sunlight, it’s converted into direct current (DC) energy that flows through the conduit underground and into your inverter. The inverter converts the DC energy into alternating current (AC) energy that is used to power your home.
Any excess energy often can be sent back to the grid for a credit. However, we recommend having a solar battery, which stores any excess energy generated for later use. This allows you to always have energy on hand, because you never know when you may need it.
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