Your Guide To Solar Panel Mounts In 2025 - SolarReviews

As the industry has expanded rapidly in recent years, the technology used to mount solar panels to residential rooftops has experienced incredible innovation and rapid growth. Solar panel mounting systems are now available for all kinds of roofs, from asphalt shingles to clay tiles, to standing seam metal, and everything in between.

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Modern solar mounting systems consist of roof attachments (with or without flashing), mounting rails, and module clamps. These products are designed to allow workers to quickly and effectively install solar panels that will last for decades on the roof, with minimal effect on the roofing materials and no roof leaks. Ground-mounted racks are also available.

There are many options for what you need, no matter your roof style or ground mounting system necessities. Your solar installer will know the best option to get the most use out of your solar system.

Below is our expert review of solar panel mounting solutions, which highlights the top three solar panel mount brands, and discusses the pros and cons of rooftop solar systems versus ground-mounted systems.

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What is solar panel mounting and racking?

Solar panel mounts and racks are equipment that secures solar panels in place.

Mounting allows the panels to be adjusted for optimal tilt, which can be based on latitude, seasons, or even time of day — to ensure maximum solar energy production. The most common locations for mounting are on the roof, using solar roof mounts, or on the ground with ground-mount options.

In terms of cost, mounts and racking typically account for about 10% of the total cost of an average solar system. For example, if your solar system cost $10,000, the racking system portion would be about $1,000 of the total cost. 

The price will depend on the type of racking you use, the amount of equipment needed, and labor costs for installation. 

The most common technique of module mounting is using a solar panel mounting bracket. Mounting brackets are heavy-duty equipment, usually made from stainless steel or aluminum. All solar racking and mounting products, whether for the rooftop or ground, must meet strict guidelines to ensure durability and structural integrity to withstand high winds and weather events.

Next, we will walk you through the main components that make up racking equipment so you can better understand the structure that will support your solar panels.

What are the most important components of a racking system?

Solar panel racking equipment is built with 3 main components:

• Roof attachments

• Module clamps

• Mounting rails

Each tool plays a key role in how the structure supports your panels, to ensure you get the most amount of solar power out of them. 

Roof attachments

The roof attachments are the fasteners that will be drilled into your roof in order to secure the racking system in place. 

The holes these drills create will be surrounded by ‘flashing’, which is a plastic or metal shield that is inserted between shingles to prevent water from getting into the hole. However, roof attachments differ for each roof type. 

To dig a little deeper, take a look at more information on installing solar panels on clay tile roofs, metal roofs, and flat surface roofs.

Module clamps

The module clamps attach the drilled-in roof attachments to the mounting rails. There are a few different module clamp types for each angle and corner of the solar panel.

Mounting rails

After drilling into the roof, the roof attachments are then connected to mounting rails via module clamps that will then support the solar panels. 

Although there are railless racking options available, rails are most commonly used because they can be secured to most roof angles, and because many installers are trained using rail mounting systems. 

While many manufacturers produce solar panel mounts, only a handful of companies come out on top when it comes to quality. You can’t really go wrong with IronRidge, Quick Mount and Unirac, but we will walk you through the pros and cons of each brand.

Which roof mount brands are best?

The top two high-quality solar mounting and racking brands are:

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• Ironridge

• Unirac 

Ironridge

Originally, IronRidge supported mostly small, off-grid projects. But today, IronRidge is known for its uniquely shaped and durable XR rail series for pitched roofs. They have equally great options for flat roofs and ground mounts, as well.

Unirac 

Unirac sells mounts for flat roofs and fixed-tilt ground-mount frames. Unirac’s solar mounts each come with different tilts, allowing the direction of the solar array to be independent of the angle of the roof, ensuring the best productivity.

Each brand offers no obvious weaknesses, and each offers very innovative mounting and racking kits to meet most solar needs. 

You can buy any option through a local solar equipment supplier for DIY projects. But if you work with a solar installer, they will buy the panel mounts for you since they know what will work best with your roof and solar panels. 

Where to buy solar panel mounts

Tackling a solar panel project DIY-style can make things a bit more complicated. Most of the time, you cannot go out and buy a fully-constructed solar panel mount system. You need to buy each individual part separately to then form a complete mount. If DIY is the route you want to go, buying entire solar panel kits with their corresponding racking solutions makes things easier. 

If you are not purchasing a kit, you can browse racking equipment on the AltE website and purchase the different components that make up the racking system. Just make sure they are the proper size for the solar panels you purchase. 

The best way to make ensure your solar installation goes off without a hitch (and uses the proper equipment suited for your specific roof) is to work with a licensed solar installer. 

Get a free quote from top-rated installers near you

Which ground-mount system is best?

A problem with rooftop solar is that it’s heavily constrained by the characteristics of your roof. Homeowners who install ground-mounted solar panels do so for one of three reasons:

1. They have insufficient roof space

2. Their roof faces north - which is bad for panel output

3. They want to optimize the performance of their system

Solar panels produce the most energy when they’re facing south. Depending on the orientation of your house, this isn’t always an option. On a roof, there might be further limitations like shade from surrounding buildings and trees.

Options to choose from include ground mounts that can be secured into the ground or ballasted mounts. Ballasted mounts sit on top of the ground and are not secured in - but are held down by the weight of the panels themselves. Ballasted ground mounts tend to be more popular since there is no drilling required for installation. 

The best options for ground mounts also come from the top brands, Ironridge and Unirac.

Ironridge Ground Mount Systems 

These are built to be long-lasting, flexible, and withstand any weather. They also come with a 25-year warranty. 

Pricing is difficult to pinpoint because it will depend on the size of your solar array, costs of material at the time of purchase, and the fact that many suppliers ask that you request a quote.

Unirac Ground Fixed Tilt 

The Unirac Ground Fixed Tilt is another great choice - it is durable and lightweight and also has a 25-year warranty. Unirac ensures fast shipping times and ease of construction. You can work with a licensed solar installer to determine which ground mount system is best for your terrain and solar panels. 

How much will a solar panel system plus racking and mounting cost?

Including racking and mounting, an average 6kW solar system would cost about $18,000 given the US average solar panel cost of about $3.00 per watt as of January . After applying the federal solar tax credit of 30%, that works out to $12,600.

It is up to you and your energy needs whether or not you want to install solar tracking systems, but generally, installing either roof or ground-mounted solar panels will work for any home. 

Working with licensed installers is the best way to determine which solar panel mount system will work best for your roof. If you research mount brands and have a preference, you can discuss your options with your solar installer. Enter your zip code below to find out the potential savings for installing solar panels with solar panel mounts on your home.

For more information, please visit Ground Mount Solar System.

What are some things to look for when buying solar panels for diy ground mount?


I want to steer away from voltage, current, and or physical size. I know for diy, you want to try and match up your inverter solar input (max VOC, max current, max watts) with the number of solar panels.

I know the bi-facials cost more and certain brands are priced higher.

Another way to ask is why are these Hyundai 305w panels so much cheaper at 0.32 / watt for a pallet and 0.37 / watt for 10 panels. The other panels hover around 0.50 to 0.60 per watt.

Hyundai 9.15kW Pallet - 305W Solar Panel ( Black Frame ) | Half-Cell Mono-Crystalline| HiA-S305HG | Full Pallet (30 Solar Panels)

Signature Solar provides solar panels, off-grid solar systems, grid-tie, and hybrid systems. Quality solar inverters, bifacial solar panels, complete solar kits, solar batteries. Featuring brands such as EG4 Electronics with their solar battery, LifePower4 and EG4 LLifePower4 and EG4 LL I'd be looking for deals at Santan Solar and check your local Craigslist, ebay and Facebook marketplace (I re-activated my account and found LG neon's within 100 miles.
I imagine some are cheaper because of manufacturing costs, glass thickness, and freight to get them to there destination from the manufacturer.
Don't forget to take cold temperature corrections into account with your VoC calculations.

What are some things to look for when buying solar panels for diy ground mount?


I want to steer away from voltage, current, and or physical size. I know for diy, you want to try and match up your inverter solar input (max VOC, max current, max watts) with the number of solar panels.

I know the bi-facials cost more and certain brands are priced higher.

Another way to ask is why are these Hyundai 305w panels so much cheaper at 0.32 / watt for a pallet and 0.37 / watt for 10 panels. The other panels hover around 0.50 to 0.60 per watt.

Hyundai 9.15kW Pallet - 305W Solar Panel ( Black Frame ) | Half-Cell Mono-Crystalline| HiA-S305HG | Full Pallet (30 Solar Panels)

Signature Solar provides solar panels, off-grid solar systems, grid-tie, and hybrid systems. Quality solar inverters, bifacial solar panels, complete solar kits, solar batteries. Featuring brands such as EG4 Electronics with their solar battery, LifePower4 and EG4 LLifePower4 and EG4 LL

.

Another way to ask is why are these Hyundai 305w panels so much cheaper at 0.32 / watt for a pallet and 0.37 / watt for 10 panels. The other panels hover around 0.50 to 0.60 per watt.

Hyundai 9.15kW Pallet - 305W Solar Panel ( Black Frame ) | Half-Cell Mono-Crystalline| HiA-S305HG | Full Pallet (30 Solar Panels)

Signature Solar provides solar panels, off-grid solar systems, grid-tie, and hybrid systems. Quality solar inverters, bifacial solar panels, complete solar kits, solar batteries. Featuring brands such as EG4 Electronics with their solar battery, LifePower4 and EG4 LLifePower4 and EG4 LL

These are quite small (so you need more racking) and lower efficiency (so you need about 10% more area to get the same power). Installation labor sort of scales by the number of panels too.

By comparison if one were to go with 450W modules you would only need racking for 20 panels for about the same DC output.

Sometimes smaller panels do make sense, I bought some 120cell ones slightly bigger than the ones you linked to fill a gap on my roof. I think they were pretty heavily discounted relative to the 144 cell ones I used elsewhere (both bigger and higher efficiency) Thanks for the responses. Locally, Facebook and Craigslist are sna desert and does not have anything.

Since this is.diy, I have tended to stay away from larger panels. I am an army of one. They are heavier and as tall as me. I know they require less mounting hardware. That price point of 0.31/watt (almost half of the Amazon based panels 0.55/watt) is very tempting.

Thanks for the responses. Locally, Facebook and Craigslist are sna desert and does not have anything.

Since this is.diy, I have tended to stay away from larger panels. I am an army of one. They are heavier and as tall as me. I know they require less mounting hardware. That price point of 0.31/watt (almost half of the Amazon based panels 0.55/watt) is very tempting.

FWIW on my first install as a newb roof DIYer I installed 15 400W class panels myself on a single story roof over three weeks in July, and am doing 9 more next month. Those kinds of panels are about 45lb

If this is roof mount then you may compromise on number of panels. If it is engineered ground mount then more panels may mean more ballast or concrete which I don't think is cheap.

If it's ground mount not subject to inspections and you are value engineering it then you can probably come out ahead using these smaller/older gen panels. For Ohio ground mount I'd be looking bifacials for sure. 30-40% gain with snow on the ground while going through the darkest time of the year should help productionwise. Price per watt is the single most important thing, but bifacials produce more than their nominal wattage suggest, especially with snow and "loose" installation. Even without vertical installation they warm up much faster to slide snow off and start bifacial production.

I'd be looking for N-type cells as they don't seem to be any more expensive than "normal" P-type ones. Don't know about NA price level on mono-/bifacial or P-/N-type, but here, where everything is usually super expensive, I can order a pallet of 700W Bluesun bifacials (N-type, shingled cell, HJT, 22,8% efficiency) home delivered including 24% VAT under 0,3€/W. Those are some good prices for the Bluesun bi-facials. I would be afraid of a solar panel taller than most basketball players.

Nowadays, there isn't that much snow that sticks to the ground. We get 2 or 3 snow storms for winter, but everything else melts away within a day or two. It's been this way for several years.

I didn't mention it, but I get over 80% of my solar from about 12 noon to 4pm. It's probably more in the 90% range when you factor efficiency losses and covering the house load. House is facing north and trees are on both east and west sides.

I get about 1/2 of the standard solar collected (e.g. enter PV array size and zip code only) based on pvwatts.gov You're right about bi-facial panels costing more, but they can be worth it if you have the budget and space for them. Brand reputation also plays a role in pricing, so it's good to do some research and read reviews from fellow DIYers. Now, about those Hyundai 305w panels being cheaper, it might indeed be due to bulk pricing or promotions. Sometimes, it's all about timing and getting a good deal. One tip I'd offer is to consider looking into solar kits. They often come with everything you need – panels, inverters, and mounting gear – and can be a cost-effective solution for a DIY project. Plus, it simplifies the whole process.

What are some things to look for when buying solar panels for diy ground mount?


I want to steer away from voltage, current, and or physical size. I know for diy, you want to try and match up your inverter solar input (max VOC, max current, max watts) with the number of solar panels.

I know the bi-facials cost more and certain brands are priced higher.

Another way to ask is why are these Hyundai 305w panels so much cheaper at 0.32 / watt for a pallet and 0.37 / watt for 10 panels. The other panels hover around 0.50 to 0.60 per watt.

Hyundai 9.15kW Pallet - 305W Solar Panel ( Black Frame ) | Half-Cell Mono-Crystalline| HiA-S305HG | Full Pallet (30 Solar Panels)

Signature Solar provides solar panels, off-grid solar systems, grid-tie, and hybrid systems. Quality solar inverters, bifacial solar panels, complete solar kits, solar batteries. Featuring brands such as EG4 Electronics with their solar battery, LifePower4 and EG4 LLifePower4 and EG4 LL

In EU panels are dumped to Ukraine. Dirtcheap. Buy as many you can afford.