Are Ground Mounted Solar Panels Worth It?

Sometimes, but not as often as you might expect. Ground mounted solar panels are worth it when your roof can't do the job and you have clear, unshaded land facing south. If your roof faces anywhere from south-east to south-west, they usually aren't: you'd pay more for little extra electricity. Below, we set the extra cost against the extra generation. New to ground mounts? Our guide to ground-mounted solar panels covers the basics.

How much more does a ground mount cost?

The panels and inverter are the same wherever they go. The difference is the structure a roof provides for free. On the ground it has to be built: a mounting frame, foundations or ground screws to hold it against the wind, and a trench carrying armoured cable back to the house. You save on scaffolding, but nowhere near enough to cancel that out.

Published UK price guides put the premium anywhere from about a tenth to over a third above an equivalent roof system. The cable trench is priced by its length, not by the panels at the end of it, so the premium bites hardest on small arrays and long runs.

Does a ground array generate more than a roof?

The case for a ground mount is control over direction and angle. The European Commission's PVGIS solar model shows what that is worth. For Tamworth, the best fixed setting is due south at about 40°, and anything from 30° to 40° comes within about 1% of it. Modelled with the same panels and losses and no shading, a ground array at that angle generates:

• up to about 3% more than a south-facing roof at a typical pitch
• roughly 6–9% more than a south-east or south-west roof
• roughly a quarter to a third more than an east- or west-facing roof
• well over half as much again as a north-facing roof, and about double on a steep one

The gap is widest in winter: in December, PVGIS has the ground array producing more than two and a half times what an east–west roof manages. The amounts are modest, but winter output is what you're most likely to use rather than export.

Two caveats. PVGIS ignores shade, and a roof shaded by trees or a taller building can lose more than any orientation penalty above. Ground arrays get shaded too: by the house, by hedges and trees, and by their own front rows when the sun is low. And the oft-quoted claim that ground mounts generate a fifth to over a third more than roof panels holds against an east–west roof, not a good south-facing one.

Is maintenance easier at ground level?

Somewhat. You can inspect the array or swap a damaged panel from the grass, without scaffolding, and roof repairs never mean lifting panels off first. But rain does much of the cleaning on any tilted panel, and a ground array adds upkeep of its own: grass and weeds must stay below the panels' lower edge, or they start shading the bottom row.

What you give up: space, security and looks

• Garden space. A typical 4 kW array needs roughly 25–40 m² of clear, south-facing ground including access, for 25 years or more.
• Security. Unlike a roof, a garden array can be reached by anyone, and by footballs, mowers and livestock. Site it within view of the house, fence it on rural plots and tell your home insurer.
• Visual impact. You and your neighbours will see it every day. Planting can soften it, but anything tall on the southern side will eventually shade the panels.

Where does planning fit in?

Planning is part of the economics. Homes in England do have permitted development rights for standalone solar, but the size and height limits are tight enough that most arrays worth building need a householder planning application. That means a fee, several weeks and some uncertainty that a roof system usually avoids. The rules were rewritten in August 2026, so older advice online may be out of date. Our ground mounted solar page sets out the current limits, plus indicative prices and the install process.

The verdict: roof or ground?

Set the premium, a tenth to over a third, against the extra generation above. Over the system's life, what matters is what you pay for each unit of electricity it produces.

Good roof: go on the roof

South-east to south-west, a sensible pitch, little shade and a sound structure. A ground mount would cost at least a tenth more and generate less than a tenth more, so every unit costs you more. Put the difference towards extra panels or a battery instead.

East–west roof and spare land: a judgement call

The extra generation, a quarter to a third, sits within the range of the premium, so the cost per unit comes out broadly similar. Let the other factors decide: garden space, winter output, and when you use electricity, since an east–west roof spreads its output into mornings and evenings.

Poor roof and clear land: go on the ground

North-facing, heavily shaded, structurally doubtful, too small, or a covering that shouldn't be drilled. The roof option loses a large share of the output (over a third on a typical north-facing pitch) or isn't viable at all. With unshaded, south-facing ground available, this is where a ground array earns its premium.

No clear land: think again

A garden in the shadow of the house or trees is unlikely to beat even a mediocre roof. A smaller, well-designed roof system is usually the better buy.

Start with the roof you already have. Our solar calculator lets you choose your roof's direction, so you can compare its estimate with a south-facing one: if the gap is small, the roof almost certainly wins. Midland Solar has installed solar from Tamworth since 2009; as an MCS-certified installer, we'll tell you honestly whether your roof or your garden suits panels better.