While most people choose to install solar panels on the roof of their homes, that’s not the only option. Most experts and homeowners that already have solar would likely agree that the roof is ideal…but if you have the land then you may want to look into installing your panels on the ground.
If you’re considering adding ground mounted solar panels to your home, you may be wondering how far away from your house they need to be.
It’s an important question to answer because you don’t want them to be too far away and lose some of their efficiency but you also don’t want them to take up too much space on your property.
How Far Can Ground Mounted Solar Panels Be From Your House?
Generally, you will want to install ground mounted solar panels within 100 feet from your home, your backup battery system, and your inverters. When stretched beyond 100 feet, the amount of energy and voltage you can expect to get out of your solar array can dip down to 3% efficiency.
For every foot of distance between your panels and your home, you can expect to lose about 0.35% efficiency. So, if you have a 200-foot panel installation, you can expect to lose around 70% of the power that could be generated if the panels were closer.
- Wiring: The farther the distance between the solar panels and your house, the longer the wiring needed to connect them. Longer wiring can result in higher energy losses and decreased system efficiency.
- Shading: Nearby trees, buildings, or other structures that cast shadows on the panels can significantly reduce their energy output. By placing the ground mounted panels closer to your house, you can potentially avoid or minimize shading issues and maximize the amount of sunlight the panels receive.
- Regulations or HOA’s: Local regulations or homeowner association rules may provide specific guidelines or restrictions regarding the placement of ground mounted solar panels. These regulations can include setback requirements, which specify the minimum distance that panels must be set back from property lines or neighboring structures.
To determine the ideal distance between ground mounted solar panels and your house, it’s recommended to consult with a professional solar installer. They can evaluate your specific site conditions, local regulations, and system requirements to provide personalized guidance on the optimal placement and distance for your solar panels.
Don’t worry about distance too much…even at a significant distance, you will still be getting plenty of power from your solar panels. And if you’re really far away from your home, there are other ways to get the energy you need, such as a backup battery system.
Sometimes you can’t help but install your panels at a further distance, perhaps due to landscape features or get better sunlight, so luckily there are some things you can do to mitigate the loss of power.
Effective Methods to Minimize Voltage Drop in Ground Mounted Solar Panels
Voltage drop refers to the decrease in voltage that occurs as the electricity travels through the wiring and connections in the system. Fortunately, there are several effective methods to minimize voltage drop and ensure optimal performance of your ground mounted solar panels.
Use Thicker Cables
Another option you can go with is simply to use thicker cables and wires on your ground mounted solar panels. These thicker cables and wires are going to be significantly more expensive, but you’ll be able to eliminate a lot of the efficiency drop-off that you would have been dealing with from smaller wires.
Just as an example, let’s say that you have a 120 V solar panel system configured in a daisy-chained series. If you were using AWG 8 wire to connect those panels to your home electrical system you could expect a loss of about 3.7% or so over a 900 foot stretch of distance.
If you were to beef up that wire to AWG 6, though, you can expect to decrease that loss to 2.3%…dramatically improving the efficiency and effectiveness of your solar setup.
Minimize Wire Length
Another method to combat voltage drop is by minimizing the length of wire runs. The longer the distance between your ground mounted solar panels and the inverter or battery storage, the greater the potential for voltage drop.
To mitigate this, consider placing your inverter and battery storage as close as possible to the solar panels.
By minimizing the wire length, you can minimize resistance and voltage drop, thus optimizing the overall efficiency of your ground mounted solar panels.
Connect Your Solar Panels in Series
Installing your ground mounted solar panels “in series (aka daisy chaining) helps you to better manage distances of more than 100 feet to 500 feet.
Solar systems that have been configured in series are able to keep current constant while increasing voltage along the way.
For example, four individual 12 V panels installed in a series will actually have 48 V but will be able to maintain the same consistent current.
You’ll need to connect the positive terminal of a solar panel to the negative panel of the next (and so on and so forth) to daisy-chain your array. But this is a pretty simple and straightforward process that any quality solar panel installer will be able to knock out for you.
Double Check Connections
Ensure that all connections between your ground mounted solar panels, wiring, and components are secure and free from corrosion or damage. Loose or faulty connections can increase resistance and lead to higher voltage drop.
Additionally, using high-quality connectors and junction boxes that are specifically designed for solar applications can minimize resistance and enhance the overall performance of your solar panels.
Proper Maintenance
By regularly inspecting the wiring, connectors, and connections, you can detect any signs of wear, damage, or loose connections that may contribute to voltage drop. Timely maintenance and repairs can prevent further degradation and ensure optimal voltage levels throughout your ground mounted solar panels system.
Use a Higher Voltage Solar Array
Higher voltage solar arrays require less current to transmit the same amount of power, which helps to minimize resistive losses and voltage drop.
To implement a higher voltage solar array, you can configure the panels into series strings. Connecting solar panels in series increases the total voltage output of the array while keeping the current relatively constant.
This higher voltage output allows for more efficient transmission of power, reducing the effects of voltage drop. However, it is crucial to ensure that the system components, such as inverters and charge controllers, are compatible with the increased voltage.
When considering a higher voltage solar array, it is also important to select appropriate wiring and components that can handle the increased voltage.
Choosing wires with a larger gauge and utilizing connectors and junction boxes rated for higher voltages can minimize resistive losses and optimize the system’s performance.
How Does the Distance Impact the Output of Solar Panels?
The distance between your home and solar energy system plays a vital role in determining the efficiency of your solar array. The closer the solar panels are to the house and other components, such as batteries or inverters, the shorter the distance for the electricity to travel which reduces energy loss.
One of the key considerations when installing ground mounted solar panels is the distance between the panels and the house’s electrical system.
The longer the distance, the higher the resistance in the wiring, which can result in energy losses. These losses can significantly impact the output of the solar panels, reducing their overall efficiency.
Therefore, it’s important to keep the distance between the solar panels and the house’s electrical system as short as possible to minimize resistance and maximize the energy output.
Batteries
Solar energy systems often incorporate battery storage to store excess electricity generated by the panels. The distance between your ground mounted solar panels and the batteries can impact the efficiency of energy storage.
If the batteries are located far from the panels, there may be energy losses during the charging and discharging processes. Placing the batteries in close proximity to the solar panels, homeowners can minimize these losses and optimize the overall output of the system.
Inverters
Inverters are responsible for converting the DC electricity generated by the panels into AC electricity for use in the house.
If the distance between the ground mounted solar panels and the inverters is substantial, there can be energy losses during the conversion process.
Minimizing this distance and placing the inverters in close proximity to the panels, homeowners can improve the efficiency of the conversion and maximize the output of their solar panel system.
What Is the Maximum Distance Solar Energy Can Be Transmitted?
The maximum distance solar energy can be transmitted is nearly unlimited as long as you have the proper cables to cope with energy loss. Factors including the type of transmission technology used, the efficiency of the transmission lines, and the voltage levels used help prevent some amounts of energy loss.
Solar energy is primarily transmitted through photovoltaic systems or solar power plants to distribute electricity to distant locations. The transmission of solar energy over long distances requires careful planning to minimize energy losses and ensure efficient power delivery.
High-Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) Transmission Lines
One of the primary methods of transmitting solar energy over long distances is through high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission lines.
HVDC lines are capable of transmitting electricity over extended distances with minimal losses compared to traditional alternating current (AC) lines.
These HVDC lines can transport solar energy over hundreds or even thousands of miles, making it feasible to transmit solar power from remote solar farms to population centers far away.
By utilizing HVDC transmission technology, the maximum distance that solar energy can be transmitted is significantly extended, enabling the efficient utilization of solar resources.
Transmission Lines
Higher quality transmission lines with lower resistance and better insulation can transmit solar energy over longer distances with reduced losses.
The use of efficient transformers and converters along the transmission line also helps maintain the integrity of the transmitted power over extended distances.
Terrain and Geography
If the transmission route involves challenging terrains such as mountains or bodies of water, additional infrastructure, such as underground or submarine cables, may be required to bridge the gap. These factors can affect the overall cost and feasibility of transmitting solar energy over long distances.
How Does this Relate to Residential Solar?
When it comes to residential installed solar, the context changes as the focus shifts to generating electricity for individual homes or small-scale applications.
In residential solar installations, the distance that solar energy needs to travel is relatively short. Solar panels are typically installed directly on the rooftops of homes or in close proximity to the property.
The generated electricity is consumed locally within the residence, with any excess power often being fed back into the grid or stored in on-site batteries for later use.
As a result, the maximum distance for transmitting solar energy becomes less of a concern in residential settings. The efficiency and output of residential solar panels are primarily influenced by factors such as the tilt and orientation of the panels, shading, system design, and the quality of the equipment used.
How Close Can Ground Mounted Solar Panels Be To Each Other?
Typically, you want to get your panels as close to one another in individual rows as possible without touching them together. You also want to be sure that each individual row has a bit of extra space between them, leaving room for ease of installation, maintenance, etc.
While you want to make sure that your solar panels are close to one another it’s a good idea to give them a little bit of “breathing room”.
If you have a large installation, it is possible to install more than one row of panels. Just be sure that there is enough space between each row for optimal performance.
Ideally, your rows should be staggered in order to avoid any shading issues. If this isn’t possible, then at least make sure that the panels in the shadowed area are facing a different direction than the panels in the sun.
Leave A Couple Of Inches Between Panels
It’s a good idea to try and leave a few inches between your individual panels in a row.
This means you’ll be able to easily install your panels side-by-side, you’ll be able to maximize the space you have available for your solar panels, and you’ll be able to get the highest possible electrical output for that given space, too.
Leave Six Inches To A Foot Between Panel Rows
At the same time, you want to make sure that you leave anywhere between 6 inches and a foot between each individual panel row.
This lets you configure your panel rows, change out panels as needed, maintain all of your panels, and not sacrifice too terribly much useful space that could have been filled with solar panel tech, too.
How Close Should Your Inverter Be To Your Solar Panels?
Ideally, your inverter should be within 25 feet of your solar panel array, but it can be as far away as 50 feet and still function properly. Just keep in mind that the longer the distance between these components, the more voltage you will lose.
If you are using a microinverter, then your inverter can be located up to 100 feet away from your solar panels. This is because a microinverter converts the DC power produced by the solar panel into AC power, which can be used in your home.
Similar to your solar panels, you don’t want your inverter…or any component for that matter…directly touching any other component, so keep your inverter, battery, and panels several inches from each other.
Typically you will need an inverter as part of your solar array but sometimes, depending on your needs, you might get away without one. I go into more detail on that over here!
Keep Your Inverter No More Than A Yard Away
If you really want to maximize the overall efficiency and effectiveness of your solar setup with an inverter make sure that your inverter is no more than a yard (3 feet) away from your solar array.
Any further than that you’re going to see a huge decrease in efficiency, power production, and overall utility of your solar system.
How Long Can A Solar Panel Cable Be?
The maximum distance for a solar panel cable is 500 feet. However, if you are going to be running your cables beyond this distance, it is important to use thicker cables with good connectors in order to avoid any power loss.
The main thing to keep in mind is that longer cables could mean a greater voltage drop, so always use the highest quality cables you can find to avoid any power loss.
Final Thoughts
Again, most people will want to install solar panels on the roof of their home since most people won’t have the land to install a solar array large enough to power their home.
But if you are lucky enough to have the space, ground mounted solar panels can be a great option, especially if you’re looking to save on your energy bill. Just be sure to keep all of these tips in mind when installing your system!