Two Arrangement Forms of PV Mounting Systems

There are currently two forms of module arrangement schemes: one is horizontal arrangement, and the other is vertical arrangement.

The selection must be based on factors such as module model, module size, array, and inverter capacity. A comparison should be made between the two arrangement schemes to select the optimal one, and the power generation situation of modules affected by shadow occlusion should also be analyzed.

(1) Ground-mounted Power Stations (Flat Ground)
When fixed tilt angle arrangement is adopted, there is no topographic change, no height difference between module arrays, and the projection directions are northeast, north, and northwest.

(2) Mountainous Projects
When fixed tilt angle arrangement is used in mountainous projects, due to the east-west slope changes of the terrain, there will be height differences between modules in the northeast and northwest directions (the direction of module shadows). When the projection direction is downward along the slope, the length of the shadow will increase along the slope. The slopes of mountainous projects are variable, so the module shadows will differ under each slope condition.

PV mounting systems mainly include three types: fixed mounting systems, fixed adjustable mounting systems, and horizontal single-axis tracking mounting systems. Whether the PV mounting system is selected properly is closely related to the subsequent installation and construction. Improper selection will lead to difficulties in mounting installation or even failure to install it.

At present, the difficulties in installing PV mounting systems in mountainous areas mainly lie in two aspects:
(1) Due to the uneven terrain, the column lengths of the same set of PV mounting systems are different, which must be considered in the design.

(2) Difficulties in connecting bolts and bolt holes or failure to connect them caused by construction errors. Currently, C-shaped purlins (with reserved adjustment holes) and  type columns are mostly used to solve the above problems.