Roof-Flush is the most common installation type for residential applications as most homes in Southern California have a tilted roof surface 19 to 32-degrees which is ideal. The panels are mounted on aluminum rails that extend just a few inches above the roof’s surface which can be tile, comp shingle or metal. These rails are supported by “footings” that are spaced about every 6-8 ft. and attached directly to the building’s roof support members. Providing you high-quality aluminum “deep channel” minimizes the number of required support member. All wires are stowed within the rails for a very clean, professional look. The roof’s slope can face East, West, or South as today’s solar panels are designed to collect maximum energy when exposed to sunlight from any direction.

Roof-Tilted is used on flat commercial or residential roofs to increase the annual production as well as reducing the amount of dust and other objects from collecting on the panels. They are normally tilted 5 to 15-degrees in the desired direction. Multiple rows of panels must have spacing in order to prevent adjacent rows from being shaded when the sun is low. This may require high efficiency panel in cases where the roof space is limited. Structural engineering and proper installation is very important as they need to be designed to withstand winds up to 135 MPH winds.

Ground-Mounted installations are common on large lots or commercial “solar farms” where there is no shading from structures or large trees and the roof space is limited. The most common method is “multi-pole” with 3 ft. deep concrete piers for the 1.5” galvanized steel structure. Similar to Roof-Tilted, the panels are tilted to the desired direction and multiple rows require spacing to prevent shading. City/County building departments require structural engineering and have the same restrictions as buildings such as setback conformance and avoiding easements, septic tanks/leach lines, and sensitive environmental areas by at least 8 feet. Due to their higher installation and maintenance costs, less common types of Ground-Mounted installations are single-pole fixed and “trackers” that follow the sun’s path. They look impressive but rarely cost effective.

Specialty installations typically have trade-offs in the form of less efficiency and/or higher costs but are practical for some applications. Integrated roof tiles, thin film, are two common types of specialty installations. Integrated roof tiles are most commonly installed with concrete flat tile roofs and normally best installed with a new roof to provide the “built-in” look desired by many homeowners. Thin film solar panels are lightweight and flexible and designed to be glued to flat metal roofs that cannot support the weight of traditional solar panels, such as patio covers and older commercial buildings.