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For roof mounted arrays, the solar panels must be mounted on a south-facing side.
In the United States, the sun is always in the southern sky, even in the summer. To get effective power generation from a solar panel, it must be mounted on an area of the roof that faces the sun.
The roof cannot be shaded.
Because the solar panels only generate power in proportion to the amount of sun hitting them, they cannot be placed on a portion of the roof that is shaded by trees or other structures.
All roof types and pitches can be accommodated.
There are mounting adaptions available to accommodate all roof surfaces and pitches. However, for steep rooftops or roofs covered with tile or other delicate roofing material, the installation cost will be higher.
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The Homeowner's Association should be consulted.
In Texas, legislation exists that restricts a Homeowner's Association's ability to prevent you from installing solar panels on your home for any reason. However, it is still not a bad idea to check with them to avoid any unnecessary conflict.
Solar panels can also be mounted on a pole.
If there is no suitable or desirable roof-mounted solution, a pole-mounted array is also an option. In this case, the desired number of panels are mounted to a plate which is attached to the top of a pole in the back yard. The pole elevates the array to minimize shading by the fence and house. The array is then turned to an angle that will optimize exposure to the sun.
An available option is to motorize the array and fit it with a sensor so that it will turn to follow the sun as it tracks across the sky, maximizing the production of the array.
