A lot of people have started to install solar panels in order to save money on their electricity bills and help the environment.
The most obvious place to mount your new solar panels is on the roof of your home, garage, or shed. But one area people overlook is their fence…sure, it’s a little out of the box, but it’s a sturdy structure that is likely the highest point towards the back and sides of your yard.
But before you start mounting panels there are a few things you should know and consider, so I’ve put together some questions and answers…check it out!
Can You Mount Solar Panels On A Fence?
In general, mounting solar panels on fencing is possible but it is not a very common practice. So, before you decide to mount your solar panels onto your fence, it’s best to consider the benefits and drawbacks of choosing that option.
Benefits Of Fence-Mounted Solar Arrays
For starters, some people don’t have the luxury of having available roof space to mount solar panels. People often use their limited roof space for other objects like vents, sunroofs, and air-conditioning units.
Despite that lack of roof space, you’ll be able to enjoy the benefits of solar power by mounting the panels on your fence instead.
Besides that, fence-mounted solar panels are straightforward for you to access whenever you want. Instead of climbing onto your roof, you can just step outside and walk towards your fence.
That’ll make things much easier for you when it comes time to clean your solar panels or troubleshoot any issues that might be going on.
So, in short, fence-mounting your solar array will allow you to save space and access your solar panels easily.
Drawbacks Of Fence-Mounted Solar Arrays
Naturally, fence-mounted solar panels come with their fair share of cons as well.
Firstly, you won’t get as much sunlight with a fence-mounted solar array as you would with a conventional roof-mounted one. Even if you angle the panels towards the sun, you’ll likely capture only a portion of their maximum capacity each day.
Secondly, the issue of easy access is a double-edged sword. Yes, you can indeed access the solar panels without any obstacles. But, unfortunately, that also means that anyone else can do the same as well.
In theory, would-be thieves could walk up to your solar panels and take them away without any obstacles to climb. Plus, being closer to the ground means there’s a higher chance of debris and other objects hitting those panels and causing damage.
So, always keep the possibility of theft and damage in mind when choosing your approach.
While you can’t prevent these things entirely, you can always take additional steps to reduce their likelihood.
What’s The Best Way To Mount Solar Panels To A Fence?
Unfortunately, mounting your solar panels onto a fence is still a niche approach. So, there are very few mainstream products designed specifically for that purpose.
Thankfully, you can repurpose existing solar panel mounting solutions instead. Here are 3 different ways you can do that:
- Wall Mounting Systems: These days, many manufacturers produce solar panel racking systems that are meant to go on exterior walls. These can be for mounting your panels vertically or at an angle to capture more sunlight. But instead, you could repurpose these wall racking systems and mount them on a flat fence.
- Pole Mount Systems: Solar panel mounting manufacturers also produce pole mounting kits for solar panels. On one end of the equipment is a rack to mount the solar panels. However, the other end is designed to wrap firmly around a pole using a built-in adjustable clamp, like a pipe-hanger clamp or something similar.
- DIY Solar Fence Mount Systems: Alternatively, you also have the option of designing and building your own DIY solar fence mounting solution. For example, many DIY solar enthusiasts have successfully repurposed various wall-mounted shelving solutions to use on their fences with solar panels.
However, you must consider 2 crucial things before deciding which option is best for you.
- The weight of your solar panels
- The type of fence you have
Firstly, not all types of solar panels weigh the same. For instance, mono-crystalline and poly-crystalline solar panels are much heavier than thin-film panels.
So, while you can pretty much hang thin-film panels very quickly, you’ll require extra strong racking for heavier solar panels.
More importantly, you must also consider the type of fence you have. Some fences are easier to deal with than others when mounting solar panels.
Let’s take a closer look at wood, chain link, and vinyl fencing:
Wood Fence
A wood fence is probably the most straightforward kind for mounting solar panels. As you’ve seen above, you can repurpose a solar panel wall mounting kit and simply attach it to your wooden fence.
However, the concern here is the weight of your solar setup. Firstly, you must ensure that the wood itself is strong enough to sustain the weight of your solar array without breaking.
Even if the fence doesn’t break, it must be secured firmly into the ground. That will prevent it from tipping over from the weight of your solar panels.
Chain-Link Fence
On a chain-link fence, the concern isn’t about weight as finding a surface to attach the mounting. But, of course, you can’t mount anything onto the chain-link itself.
However, you can mount your solar panels onto the fence’s poles using a ready-made solar panel pole mounting system. Those will attach themselves to each pole using an adjustable clip.
Vinyl Fence
Mounting solar panels on vinyl can be tricky. Firstly, you’ll have to be extra careful when drilling holes through vinyl so you don’t accidentally damage the top layer.
Besides that, you have to be very cautious of how much weight you put on each part of the fence. In this case, using smaller, lighter solar panels and spreading them out will likely be a safer approach to take.
Iron Fence
Iron fences are the sturdiest type of fence, but they’re also the most difficult to work with when it comes to mounting solar panels.
Unless you want to drill into the iron itself (which can be a costly and time-consuming process), your best bet is to use a DIY solar fence mount system. This way, you can avoid having to drill into the fence and potentially damage it.
Recommended Tools:
- Solar panel racking or a DIY solar fence mount system
- Pole mounting kit (if you have a chain-link fence)
- Drill (if you’re mounting onto an iron fence)
- Mounting brackets (to secure the panels to the fence)
- Holesaw or jigsaw (to make holes in the fence for the brackets)
- Wire or zip ties (to secure the panels to the fence)
- Spirit level or laser level (to make sure the panels are mounted straight)
- Solar charge controller and inverter (if you’re not connecting to the grid)
- Batteries (if you’re not connecting to the grid)
- A few more tools that might come in handy: a hammer, screwdriver, drill bit, saw horses, tape measure, and level.
