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Module 9 · PV Layout Design

PV Layout Design

Roof and ground-mount layout considerations, fire code setbacks and access pathways, racking system selection, tilt/azimuth optimization, and the inter-row shading vs. ground coverage ratio (GCR) trade-off for ground-mount arrays.

A target system size is only a number until it becomes a real arrangement of modules on a real roof or parcel. This module works through that translation: roof-mount structural and obstruction constraints, the fire code pathway and setback dimensions an AHJ actually checks, how racking type (fixed-tilt, single-axis tracker) trades yield against mechanical complexity, tilt and azimuth optimization, and the row-spacing geometry that sets ground coverage ratio on a ground-mount array.

By the end of this module you should be able to calculate a ground-mount row pitch from collector width, tilt, and sun altitude angle, and explain why tightening that pitch to raise GCR is a real economic trade-off, not a free win.

Free related reading in this studio
→ Solar Site Assessment: Irradiance Data, Shading Analysis, and Tilt/Azimuth Optimization→ Concept Explainer: Fixed-Tilt vs. Tracking Solar Arrays→ Simulator: Solar PV Production Simulator

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