Cheap DIY solar fence design

Solar costs, tariffs & “market rate”

• Several commenters report US panel prices around $0.25–0.30/W (e.g., pallets from distributors), while others note this is 3–6× higher than low-cost regions in Asia.
• One link claims US tariffs on major producing countries often range from ~64% to >100%, with China much higher; some argue tariffs barely matter because panels are a small share of total system cost.
• Overseas examples (India, SE Asia, parts of Europe) show much cheaper full systems and faster payback than typical US/UK installs, largely due to lower labor and softer costs.

DIY vs professional installation

• Many say panels are <10% of installed cost; mounts, inverters, batteries, wiring, permitting, and electrician time dominate.
• DIYers report big savings using surplus/used panels, generic aluminum or steel hardware, and doing all but final grid tie themselves.
• Others describe bad experiences with sales-driven installers (ghosting, misleading incentives, upsells like bird mesh) and long ROIs.

Why vertical / fence-mounted solar?

• Critics question non-optimally tilted panels and call the project “just a vertical array.”
• Supporters argue:
  • Panels are now cheap; maximizing kWh per panel is less important than using otherwise-unused surfaces.
  • Vertical (especially bifacial) panels give more morning/evening and winter output, help with the “duck curve,” and shed snow better at high latitudes.
  • A fence has dual use (boundary + generation) and a smaller land footprint.
• For bifacial fences: recommended patterns differ for N/S vs E/W runs (e.g., alternating orientation on E/W).

Mounting hardware & structural concerns

• Mounts are costly due to wind/snow loads, variable roofs, anchoring, scaffolding, and labor; metal BOS costs haven’t fallen like modules.
• Ground and fence mounts must handle frost heave, clay movement, and wood twisting; some use adjustable brackets or all-metal structures.
• Cheap alternatives (pressure-treated posts, angle iron, or even loose-laid shed panels) are discussed; others warn about rare but catastrophic failures.

Electrical design & DC safety

• Some advocate ultra-simple off-grid systems: skip MPPT, grid tie, big batteries, and even inverters by using 48V DC and DC appliances, plus behavioral shifts (daytime laundry, thermal storage).
• A long subthread debates 48 VDC vs 120/240 VAC: tradeoffs in shock risk, arc faults, wire size, fire risk, and US code limits for “low-voltage” building wiring.

Regulation, labor & safety tradeoffs

• Permitting and AHJ approval often require UL-listed components and recognized racking, which pushes people toward name-brand hardware.
• One side blames licensing, localism, and immigration limits for high costs; the other side stresses that safety codes and labor protections exist due to historical injuries and deaths, especially for roof work and electrical hazards.

Practical issues: roofs, fences & environment

• Roof systems can create severe bird/pigeon problems; retrofitting bird mesh/spikes is expensive but sometimes code-required (e.g., rodent guard in Canada).
• Solar fences avoid roof leaks/birds but raise questions: setback rules, HOAs and aesthetics, vandalism if near public space, panel gaps at the bottom, and wood rot (mitigated with treated posts, gravel, and concrete).

Open questions from the thread

• Commenters note the original post doesn’t detail:
  • Actual energy production of the fence.
  • Maximum height before bracing is needed.
  • Detailed snow-load behavior for similar fences in snowy climates.