This guide looks at how ground mounted solar panels work, when they make sense and what you should consider before installing them.

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What Are Ground Mounted Solar Panels?

 

Ground mounted solar panels are photovoltaic panels installed on a supporting frame at ground level rather than being fixed to a roof.

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The solar technology itself is essentially the same. Photovoltaic cells convert daylight into electricity, which passes through an inverter before being used within the property, stored in a battery or exported to the electricity grid.

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The difference is primarily in the mounting system.

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Instead of relying on an existing roof, the panels are supported by a purpose-designed ground structure. This can give the installer much greater flexibility over the orientation and angle of the array.

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Solar panels generally perform best where they receive good levels of sunlight and limited shading. Energy Saving Trust notes that south-facing panels normally generate the greatest overall output, although east- and west-facing systems can also perform well.

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Why Choose Ground Mounted Solar?

 

The main advantage of ground mounted solar is flexibility.

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A roof-mounted solar system is limited by the building that already exists. Its orientation, pitch, shape, chimneys, rooflights and surrounding trees all determine where panels can go.

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A ground mounted solar array can instead be positioned where the solar resource is best.

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This can be especially useful for rural homes, larger detached houses, farms, estates and properties with substantial gardens.

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It may also allow a larger array to be installed than would physically fit on the roof.

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Ground mounting can also make maintenance easier because the panels are accessible without scaffolding or roof access equipment.

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The trade-off is that the system occupies usable land and generally requires more supporting structure, groundwork and cable installation than a simple roof-mounted array.

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Ground Mounted Solar Versus Roof Mounted Solar

 

Neither system is automatically better.

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A roof-mounted system usually makes good use of otherwise unused space and can be comparatively straightforward to install where the roof is suitable.

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Ground mounted panels make more sense where the building itself limits what can be achieved.

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For example, you might consider a ground mounted system where the roof faces predominantly north, is significantly shaded, has limited usable area or contains numerous dormers and rooflights.

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Ground mounting can also be attractive where the owner wants a larger solar system than the house roof can accommodate.

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Energy Saving Trust advises that shading can have a significant effect on solar generation and that the orientation and available area should form part of the system assessment.

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Residential Ground Mount Solar

 

Ground mounted solar is not restricted to commercial solar farms.

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A residential ground mount solar system can be installed within the grounds of a house where sufficient space is available.

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A relatively small domestic array could supply part of the normal electricity requirement of the home, while a larger installation may be designed around additional electrical loads such as a heat pump, electric vehicle charger or battery-storage system.

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The important issue is to size the system around the property rather than simply installing as many panels as will physically fit.

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An installer will normally consider existing electricity consumption, expected future demand, available land, shading, orientation and the amount of electricity likely to be used directly within the home.

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Where Should Ground Mounted Solar Panels Be Positioned?

 

Positioning is critical.

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The best location is normally somewhere with good exposure to daylight throughout the year and minimal shading from trees, neighbouring buildings and other structures.

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The ground should also be practical for construction and maintenance.

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Placing an array beneath large trees simply because there is unused land available may significantly reduce its performance.

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Likewise, an isolated sunny corner hundreds of metres from the house may introduce additional cabling and installation costs.

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The design therefore needs to balance solar performance with access, cable distance, planning considerations and the way the land is currently used.

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Which Direction Should Ground Mounted Solar Panels Face?

 

One of the major benefits of ground mounting is that the panels are not tied to the orientation of an existing roof.

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Where site conditions permit, the array can be designed to achieve a favourable orientation.

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In the UK, south-facing panels normally produce the highest total annual generation, although south-east and south-west orientations can also perform strongly. East- and west-facing systems may also be useful where electricity consumption is concentrated earlier or later in the day.

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The best design is therefore not necessarily the one with the theoretically highest annual generation.

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It should also consider when the electricity will actually be used.

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Ground Mount Solar Panel Angle

 

Ground mounted systems can also be designed with an appropriate panel inclination rather than accepting the pitch of an existing roof.

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The optimum angle varies with location and design objectives.

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The installer will normally model the proposed array and select an angle that balances annual generation, row spacing, wind loading and available land.

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Higher panel angles can also increase the distance needed between rows because one row must not excessively shade the next.

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That becomes increasingly important on larger ground mounted solar systems.

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Ground Mounted Solar Panel Mounting Systems

 

There are several forms of ground mounted solar panel mounting system.

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For smaller domestic projects, the panels are commonly installed on fixed steel or aluminium frames secured into or onto the ground.

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Depending on the site and design, supports might use driven posts, ground screws, concrete foundations or other engineered systems.

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Larger commercial arrays may use more substantial framing and repeated rows of panels.

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The mounting system needs to resist its own weight as well as wind forces and other environmental loads. Ground conditions therefore matter, particularly on exposed or sloping sites.

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The exact solution should be designed for the particular property rather than treating the supporting frame as a generic garden structure.

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Do Ground Mounted Solar Panels Need Foundations?

 

Usually some form of engineered ground connection will be required.

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That does not necessarily mean conventional concrete strip foundations.

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Modern ground mount systems can use driven piles or screw foundations that reduce the amount of excavation and concrete required.

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Other systems may use concrete pads or ballast.

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The appropriate method depends on soil conditions, array size, wind exposure, equipment specification and whether the installation is intended to be readily reversible.

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For larger systems, structural design and ground assessment become increasingly important.

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Can Ground Mounted Solar Be Installed on Sloping Land?

 

Potentially, yes.

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A gentle slope may still provide a perfectly workable site, although the mounting structure will need to accommodate changing ground levels.

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Steeper ground can make installation, access and maintenance more complicated.

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The orientation of the slope also matters.

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A south-facing slope may provide very favourable solar conditions, while significant surrounding trees or topography could create shading.

A proper site assessment should therefore take place before the final array layout is agreed.

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Ground Mounted Solar Panels and Planning Permission

 

Small domestic ground mounted solar installations in England can benefit from permitted development rights, which means a full planning application may not be necessary where the relevant limitations and conditions are satisfied.

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For domestic stand-alone solar equipment, the current limits include a maximum array area of 9 square metres, with no dimension of the array exceeding 3 metres. The installation must normally be at least 5 metres from the property boundary and must not exceed 4 metres in height.

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The permitted development right also relates to the first stand-alone solar installation within the curtilage. If a stand-alone solar installation is already present, another may require planning permission.

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These limits mean that many larger residential ground mounted solar systems will require planning permission.

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Ground Mounted Solar Panels Near a Boundary

 

The 5 metre boundary restriction is particularly important for domestic installations.

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A garden may look substantial, but once a five-metre zone is allowed around the relevant boundaries, the area available for a permitted-development solar array can be much smaller than expected.

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This is one reason why it is worth checking the planning position before choosing a final system size.

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A larger array may still be entirely achievable, but it may need to proceed through a planning application instead.

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Ground Mounted Solar in Conservation Areas

 

Designated areas require additional care.

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Planning Portal advises homeowners in listed buildings or designated areas such as conservation areas and National Parks to check the planning position carefully before undertaking ground-mounted solar work.

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There are also additional restrictions relating to the positioning of stand-alone solar equipment near highways in certain protected areas.

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The fact that a property has a large garden therefore does not automatically mean that any part of that garden is suitable for solar

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Ground Mounted Solar and Listed Buildings

 

Listed buildings require particularly careful consideration.

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The normal domestic stand-alone solar permitted development right does not allow an installation within the curtilage of a listed building.

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That does not necessarily mean a ground mounted solar installation is impossible.

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It means the proposal needs to be considered through the appropriate planning and heritage process, with particular attention given to the effect of the array on the setting and significance of the listed building.

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This section should internally link to your Solar Panels on Listed Buildings article.

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Large Ground Mounted Solar Systems

 

Once a solar array becomes substantially larger than a small domestic installation, the project starts to operate more like a piece of infrastructure.

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A larger system may need consideration of access, landscaping, visibility, drainage, ecology, electrical infrastructure and grid connection as well as the solar technology itself.

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Commercial ground mount installations can range from modest systems supplying a business or agricultural property through to much larger solar farms.

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The planning requirements for these systems are different from the small domestic permitted-development provisions.

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Ground Mount Solar Cost

 

The cost of ground mount solar depends heavily on the size and complexity of the project.

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The panels and inverter may be similar to those used on a roof-mounted system, but a ground-mounted installation also needs a dedicated supporting structure and may require groundworks, trenching, longer cable routes and additional electrical infrastructure.

Site access and ground conditions can also affect the final price.

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For comparison, Energy Saving Trust currently gives an average figure of around £7,600 for a typical domestic roof-mounted solar installation, although actual prices vary considerably. A ground-mounted system should therefore be individually quoted because the site-specific work can be significantly different.

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For APN Solar, I would avoid publishing a simplistic national “£X per kW” figure for ground mounting because it could quickly become misleading.

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Is Ground Mounted Solar More Expensive?

 

For an equivalent system size, it can be.

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A suitable roof already provides the main supporting structure for roof-mounted panels.

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A ground mounted installation has to create that structure from scratch.

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On the other hand, ground access can simplify installation, and a better orientation or larger available area may allow the system to generate more electricity.

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Cost should therefore be compared against expected lifetime output rather than simply looking at the installation price.

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Ground Mounted Solar and Battery Storage

 

Ground mounted solar panels can be combined with battery storage in exactly the same way as roof-mounted PV.

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Electricity generated during the day can be used immediately within the property, exported to the grid or stored for later use.

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Battery storage can be particularly attractive where daytime electricity consumption is relatively low but evening usage is high.

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Energy Saving Trust notes that modern domestic solar proposals are increasingly assessed alongside battery storage because storing surplus generation can increase the amount of solar electricity used within the property.

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The battery itself does not normally need to be positioned next to the solar array. It is more commonly located in a suitable area closer to the property's electrical equipment.

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Selling Surplus Ground Mounted Solar Electricity

 

Eligible solar PV installations in Great Britain may receive payments for electricity exported to the grid through the Smart Export Guarantee.

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Ofgem confirms that participating electricity suppliers provide export tariffs for qualifying small-scale generators, including solar photovoltaic installations up to the relevant capacity limits.

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The financial return depends on the tariff, amount generated, amount used within the property and amount exported.

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This means system design should consider both generation and household consumption rather than assuming that exporting as much electricity as possible will necessarily give the best outcome.

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Maintenance of Ground Mounted Solar Panels

 

One practical advantage of ground mounted solar is accessibility.

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Panels can usually be inspected and maintained without scaffolding or working on a roof.

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The site should nevertheless be designed so vegetation does not grow up around the modules and shading does not gradually increase.

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Access should also be retained around the array for inspection of the panels, wiring and mounting equipment.

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Where livestock or wildlife may have access to the installation, additional protection may be required around cabling and electrical equipment.

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Are Ground Mounted Solar Panels Worth It?

 

They can be an excellent option where the property has suitable land and an unsuitable roof.

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The strongest candidates are typically properties with plenty of unshaded space, significant electricity consumption and enough distance from surrounding buildings or trees to achieve a productive solar layout.

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Ground mounting becomes particularly attractive where it allows a larger or better orientated array than the roof could provide.

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For a typical suburban house with a good south-facing roof and limited garden, roof mounting may remain the simpler solution.

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For a rural property with several acres of land and a heavily shaded roof, the calculation can look completely different.

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Ground Mounted Solar Panels – FAQs

 

Do ground mounted solar panels need planning permission?

Not always. Small domestic stand-alone installations in England can qualify as permitted development where the relevant size, height, boundary and location restrictions are met. Larger systems normally need the planning position checked separately.

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How large can domestic ground mounted solar be without planning permission?

Under the current domestic permitted development limits, the array should not exceed 9m² in panel area and no dimension should exceed 3 metres. Other conditions also apply.

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How close can ground mounted solar panels be to a boundary?

For the domestic permitted development right, the installation must normally be at least 5 metres from the property boundary.

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How high can ground mounted solar panels be?

The domestic permitted development limit for stand-alone solar equipment is 4 metres in height, subject to the other conditions applying.

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Can ground mounted solar panels face south?

Yes. One of the main benefits of ground mounting is that the array can often be orientated independently of the building. South-facing panels generally provide strong annual generation in the UK, although other orientations can also work well.

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Can I have ground mounted solar panels in my garden?

Potentially, yes. Smaller installations may qualify as permitted development, although the 9m² size limit, 5 metre boundary requirement and other restrictions need to be considered.

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Can ground mounted solar panels be connected to a battery?

Yes. Ground mounted PV can work with battery storage in the same way as a roof-mounted solar system.

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Can I sell electricity from ground mounted solar panels?

Eligible installations in Great Britain can potentially receive export payments through the Smart Export Guarantee, subject to the scheme requirements and chosen supplier tariff.

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Are ground mounted solar panels suitable for farms?

They can be, although larger agricultural or commercial arrays should not be confused with the small domestic permitted-development rules. Larger projects need their planning, electrical and site requirements assessed individually.

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Considering a Ground Mounted Solar System?

A ground mounted solar panel system can open up solar generation to properties where the roof simply is not the best place for panels.

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It can provide greater freedom over orientation, system size and positioning while keeping panels easy to reach for inspection and maintenance.

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The first step is to assess the available land, shading, expected electricity use and planning constraints. From there, an installer can determine whether roof-mounted or ground-mounted solar offers the better solution.

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APN Solar can help you explore your options and connect you with experienced solar installers who can assess the site, design the system and provide quotations for installation.

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