Panel installation and wiring

Ground-Mounted Solar Panels UK: When Your Roof Isn’t the Answer

A south-facing roof is the obvious place for solar panels, but it isn't always an option. Shading, orientation, listing, or simply having a flat or low-pitch roof can rule it out. Ground mounting brings the array to where the sun actually is.

Helpful video. Gary Does Solar’s “Why Ground-Mounted Bifacial Solar Panels Just Make Sense” covers the case for ground mounts and why bifacial panels pair well with them.

1. Decide whether a ground mount suits your property

Ground mounting is worth considering when your roof faces north or north-east, is heavily shaded by trees or a neighbouring building for most of the day, has a pitch too shallow or steep for standard rail systems, is listed or tiled in a way that makes penetration complicated, or simply doesn't have the usable area for the system size you want.

All you need for a ground array is a south-facing run of garden, paddock, or amenity land with minimal shading, reasonable access for installation, and a sensible cable route back to the consumer unit.

2. Check the planning permission rules

Ground-mounted solar arrays benefit from permitted development rights in England under Schedule 2, Part 14 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 2015, with the following conditions:

• The array must not be installed on a building or be visible from a road in front of the principal elevation of the house.
• The highest part of the array must not exceed 4 metres above ground level.
• The ground area covered by the panels must not exceed 9 square metres.
• Only one ground array is permitted on the property under permitted development.

If your planned array is larger than these limits, in a conservation area, a national park, the Broads, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, or on an Article 4 direction site, you will need to make a formal planning application. Your MCS-certified installer will advise on this as part of the survey.

3. Choose the right frame type

Post-driven frames are the most common for domestic arrays. Steel or aluminium posts are either driven directly into firm ground or concreted into position, and the panel rails bolt to them. They work on most ground types and are relatively straightforward to install and remove if you move house.

Ballasted frames sit on concrete pads or ground screws without penetrating the soil deeply. They suit flatter, firmer ground and avoid the need for deep digging, though they require accurate levelling.

Tracking frames rotate through the day to follow the sun. They can add 20 to 40 percent to annual yield compared with a fixed array at the same location, but the additional moving parts, maintenance, and cost mean they are rarely economic at domestic scale.

For most domestic ground mounts in the UK, a fixed post-driven frame angled at 30 to 35 degrees from horizontal is the practical choice.

4. Meet DNO notification and MCS requirements

Any grid-connected system must go through the same regulatory route as a rooftop install. Your installer submits the G98 or G99 application to your distribution network operator before work begins. The DNO reviews it, sets any technical conditions, and issues approval or a date by which you can proceed without a reply. Only then can the system be energised and export begin.

The cable run from the array to the consumer unit is often longer on a ground-mounted system than a rooftop one, so your installer will calculate the correct cable cross-section to keep voltage drop within the limits set by BS 7671. This is part of the MCS design and documentation package.

5. Consider bifacial panels for extra yield

Bifacial solar panels generate electricity from both the front face (direct sunlight) and the rear face (light reflected off the ground and surroundings beneath them). On a rooftop they offer modest gains because the rear faces a dark roof surface. On a ground mount, you can control the clearance height and choose what sits below the array.

A minimum 1 metre clearance between the ground and the underside of the panels is generally recommended to allow reflected light to reach the rear cells. Pale gravel, concrete, or even cut grass beneath the array reflects more light than bare dark earth. In practice, bifacial ground-mount installations in the UK report rear-side gains of 5 to 15 percent depending on ground reflectivity and array height.

Gary Does Solar’s video above covers real-world bifacial ground-mount results in plain terms if you want to see the numbers in context before committing to a frame type.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do ground-mounted solar panels need planning permission in the UK?

Ground-mounted panels are permitted development for most houses if the array is not visible from a road in front of the principal elevation, sits under 4 metres tall, and covers no more than 9 square metres of ground. Larger systems, conservation area properties, and Article 4 direction sites all require a planning application.

How much do ground-mounted solar panels cost in the UK?

A typical 4 to 6 kW domestic ground mount runs from around £9,000 to £16,000 installed, depending on frame type, ground conditions, cable run length to the consumer unit, and whether battery storage is included. MCS-certified installers will survey the cable route before quoting.

Can I install ground-mounted solar myself?

The mounting frame itself is not notifiable work in isolation, but connecting the system to the mains grid for export requires an MCS-certified installer and DNO notification. A plug-in arrangement under roughly 800W keeps things simpler for a DIY approach, though yield will be lower than a full grid-connected array.

Get a ground mount quote See MCS installations