Rail Mounting System

Rail Mounting System for Solar 

You may probably know that the two main types of solar installation are ground-mounted and rooftop-mounted solar installations. You may also learn the two basic kinds of ground-mounted solar systems, so now you are curious about if rooftop-mounted systems also have different ways to get it done. To tell you this, the rooftop solar installation can be also done in two ways. You can choose rail-mounted or rail-less solar panel installation. Between the two variations, the most widely used method is the rail mount.

In today’s article, we will briefly discuss what is rail mounting system is, its pros and con, and anything you should know before choosing a rail mounting system. 

What is Rail Mounting System?

A rail mounting system is the most common roof-mounted structure type that offers a versatile option for mounting solar panels on low and steep-sloped roofs. Usually, the system consists of a set of aluminum module support rails and other necessary components that attach the rails to the roof attachment and to attach the PV modules to the rails. The rail mounting system allows solar panels to be mounted either in portrait or landscape orientation. The rails can be a shared or fixed-tilt design in either orientation.

Rail mountings systems usually include pantiles, plain tiles, slate tiles, trapezoidal sheet metal, corrugated fiber cement, corrugated sheet metal, and standing seam roof.

How Does Rail Mounting System Work?

Each solar photovoltaic panel is attached to the aluminum rails through a set of clamps. Then the rails will be secured to the rooftop using screws and bolts. Usually, this installation method uses flashing to attach the solar panels to the house rooftop. The flashing is the same as the method used for a standard roof vent. Typically, an “L” foot or support component is fixed to the flashing and holds the aluminum or steel rails 2 to 4 inches above the rooftop, upon which the solar photovoltaic panels are mounted.

Pros and Cons of Rail Mounting System

If you are still undecided whether to choose a rail mounting system or not, we have listed some of its pros and cons. 

Pros for Standard Rail Mounting:

• You can use the rail mounting system with almost any kW solar modules in any color of your choice. 
• If you want to blend the rails into your roof shield, rails are easy to blend with them since rails are available in silver and black.
• Many solar manufacturers of rails offer a flash to make it possible to blend the rails with your rooftop.
• Conduits and wires used for installation can be run through the rooftop or across the rooftop.
• Rail mounting system has a long lifespan, and it is the most common type of solar roof installation due to its long histories of success.

Cons for Standard Rail Mounting:

• Older residential and commercial properties may not be applicable to rail mounting since rails are a bit heavy and it can add additional load/weight to the roof making it too much to handle. 
• The solar panel system is more prominently displayed since they sit a little more inches above the roof shingles.
• If you installed them without flashing, the solar panel system is more accessible to bad weather and rodents.

Should you get a Rail Mounting System?

All in all, a rail-mounted solar system offers the most flexibility and capacity when it comes to solar rooftop system design. Not to mention that it has a long history of success in the solar industry, enough proof that it is worth having. In fact, it continues to be the top choice for consumers when they plan to install solar panels at home.

Manufacturers

In the simplest terms, manufacturing is the process of producing actual goods or items/products through the use of raw materials, human labour, use of machinery, tools and other processes such as chemical formulation. This process usually starts with product designing and raw material selection, turning them into an actual product output. 

Solar Products Manufacturers and Factories

In terms of solar, manufacturing encompasses the fabrication or production of materials across the solar market chain. The most common product being manufactured by solar companies are the solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, which are made with several subcomponents such as solar wafers, cells, glass, back sheets, and frames. Before a solar panel comes into life, it will undergo a lot of processes, from designing, modelling, choosing what raw materials to use and then assembling them all to make the final product.

More Than Just Solar Panels

Aside from the solar panels, solar companies have many other manufactured products that are required to make solar energy systems work smoothly, like solar inverters, batteries, combiner boxes, and racking and tracking structures.

Having a solar manufacturing sector makes a big difference in supplying affordable solar energy in different areas. Aside from maintaining the rising domestic and global demand for cleaner and renewable energy, they also help the economy grow, particularly the solar industry. If you are in search of a reliable solar manufacturing company, checking out our solar outsourcing company, SolarFeeds, would help you get easy access to reliable information, news, data and a list of solar manufacturers that can help you with solar products.

France

Solar Market Outlook in France

The solar market in France is characterized by ambitious targets and innovative solutions. The country has been one of the major proponents of solar energy in Europe and this is made possible by the strong policies in place. 

In 2020, France crossed the significant threshold capacity of 10 GW installed. This brings the country to its goal of 20.1 GW solar capacity by the year 2023. This goal is established alongside the Multi-Annual Energy Programme. 

Despite the impact of the pandemic, the solar market in France remains steadfast in its commitment to become the primary source of renewable energy source. France was able to produce 7.6 TWh of solar from January to June 2021. This was a significant growth from the 6.8 TWh power that was produced in the same period of 2020.

The French Renewable Energy Trade Association continues to push the country’s solar market potential and it has received a lot of support from the French national government.

Solar Energy Manufacturers in France

There is no shortage of manufacturers and companies that are dedicated to providing technological and innovative solutions to more French households and commercial spaces. This gives the market massive growth potential.

The vast amount of options for solar energy manufacturers in France has contributed to a growth in the solar market that the country has not experienced before.

Ports and logistics in France

There are a wide array of major sea ports and logistic companies operating in France. This is good news for residential and commercial properties that are looking to switch to solar energy. 

There are 10 major ports in France and Marseille Fos Port is the main maritime port. This port handles goods and passengers with an average traffic of 88 million tons.

Solar Product Manufacturers in France

The production of solar products continues to see tremendous growth over the past decade in France. There are several options for consumers and it’s not just limited to solar panel installations.

Solar manufacturing in France includes solar water heating components, photovoltaic systems, solar roofing systems, indoor solar cells, and more.