Ground mounted solar panel installation in Kent and the South East

Not every roof suits solar. Listed buildings, conservation areas, thatch, heavy shading and roofs that simply face the wrong way all rule it out. Ground mounted solar puts the array where the sun actually is.

A recent install at Mereworth shows what is involved. 12.2 kWp across 24 AIKO Neostar 510W modules, a 10kW Sigenergy SigenStor inverter with 17.5 kWh of storage, a 120 metre cable trench back to the house and a purpose built hut for the equipment.

It saves the owner £2,329 a year, which is £58,225 across the lifetime of the system, and pays for itself in nine years.

The honest part is the timeline. That job took around twelve months from first conversation to switch on, and most of that was planning. Ground mounted arrays are a planning matter in a way roof panels usually are not, and rural and listed sites take longer again.

If you have the land and you are not in a hurry, it is usually the better system. Panels sit at the angle you choose rather than the angle the roof gives you, there is no scaffolding, and anything needing attention in twenty years is at waist height.