Photovoltaic mounting system

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Photovoltaic mounting systems (also called solar module racking) are used to fix solar panels on surfaces like roofs, building facades, or the ground.^[1] These mounting systems generally enable retrofitting of solar panels on roofs or as part of the structure of the building (called BIPV).^[2] As the relative costs of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules has dropped,^[3] the costs of the racks have become more important and for small PV systems can be the most expensive material cost.^[4] This has caused an interest in small users deploying a DIY approach.^[5] Due to these trends, there has been an explosion of new racking trends. These include non-optimal orientations and tilt angles, new types of roof-mounts, ground mounts, canopies, building integrated, shading, vertical mounted and fencing systems.