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Do you think your rooftop is the only place to install a solar plant? Think again!
With technological advancement, it is possible to install solar systems in various areas. A barren ground is one common place to install a ground mounted solar power plant and produce solar power with high efficiency.
So, if you own a commercial business and have an open space, you can set up your solar power generation system to meet your power requirements or connect it to the utility grid.
But what are the types of ground mount solar panels, and how do they function? Don’t worry! Through this blog, we will clarify all your doubts.
Let’s first look at the functions of these panels.
Ground mounted solar power plants function similarly to rooftop solar systems. This includes absorbing the sunlight to generate an electric charge and then transferring it to the inverter through conductive wires.
If you want to produce solar energy on a large scale, you must choose solar panels with 72-cells.
You would be amazed to know that a ground-mounted solar system generates more units of electricity than a rooftop system, even when they get equal sunlight. Want to know the reason behind this?
Well, for rooftop solar panels, the mounting structure is fixed. Therefore, it captures sunlight according to the sun’s position.
However, in ground-mounted panels, you construct the structure carefully with a tilt angle and orientation to maximise sunlight exposure.
In addition, you can also add a solar tracking device to this system to angle the panels towards the sun. Solar trackers move the panels so that they’re always perpendicular to the Sun. Hence, the efficiency is very high.
Before you install a ground mounted solar power plant, it is crucial to understand what types of panels are available in the market.
Solar panel manufacturers keep upgrading the technology to provide efficient solutions to people. Presently there are three types of solar panels compatible with ground mounting solar systems. They are:
The increased exposure to direct and reflected sunlight enables the solar system with these panels to produce more electricity. Generally, it offers the highest efficiency, up to 22%.
This solar panel is the most efficient for ground mounting solar systems. In addition, you can use single-axis and double-axis solar trackers in these panels to increase their efficiency further.
This type of solar power plant offers multiple benefits to people. These include the following:
Although ground mounting solar system offers many benefits, it comes with some limitations, such as:
Now let’s understand how much money you may require to install a ground-mounted solar system.
Although the cost of solar panels depends on their type and individual manufacturer, generally, the range is between Rs. 25.5 to Rs. 32 per watt.
The following points provide information on cost according to the panel type:
To provide financial assistance to people for installing ground-mounted solar systems, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has launched the PM KUSUM scheme. This scheme is specifically offered to farmers in India.
Through this scheme, the Indian government aims to install nearly 25,750 MW of solar or other renewable energy power plants by 2022.
For this, the central government has also offered a budget of Rs. 34,422 crores to the agencies that install power plants.
This scheme has three components:
To increase the longevity of the solar module, it is necessary to follow timely maintenance procedures.
However, for efficient maintenance, you must be aware of other crucial elements, such as:
Ground-mounted solar panels offer one of the best methods to generate solar energy on a large scale. Moreover, the high efficiency balances their initial investment in the minimum time duration.
If you want to install this system, you can benefit from the PM KUSUM scheme, which has now been extended till 31st March 2026.
The accurate price of ground mounted solar panels varies from manufacturer to manufacturer and installer to installer.
However, the following points elaborate on the average cost of solar panels in general:
A ground-mounted solar system’s efficiency varies according to the panel type. For example:
Ground-mounted solar systems offer the benefits of installing solar tracking devices. These devices have sensors to track the light course and turn the panels in an accurate direction to increase power generation.