IntegraRack BallastRack IR-15, IR-30 Solar Panel Ground Mount Rack, Fixed 15 or 30 Degree Solar Panel Mounting Frame, Rail-Free Ground Mount Solar Racking, Single Frame

About the IntegraRack IR-15 and IR-30 Solar Panel Ground Mount Rack

The IR-15 and IR-30 replace the concrete piers, driven posts and racking rails of a traditional ground mount with a single lightweight aluminum frame per panel. Each frame sets your panel at a fixed 15° or 30° tilt, assembles in about two minutes with a screw gun and a wrench, and connects to the next frame along 1 in EMT conduit or IntegraRack composite base tubes. The result is a durable ground array you can stand up on almost any level surface, with a full 10-panel row typically going up in around 100 minutes. Frame spacing simply follows your panel width, so the BallastRack racks panels of essentially any size in portrait orientation up to 32 sq ft, and a longer row makes the system more rigid.

IR-15 vs IR-30: Choosing a Fixed Solar Panel Mounting Angle

Both tilts share the same frame platform, and the leg height sets the angle.

30° favors higher latitudes across most of the contiguous US, leans production toward the winter half of the year, and sheds snow more readily. It is the common choice for year-round output in the northern and central states.

15° suits lower latitudes such as Florida and southern Texas, favors summer production, presents a lower profile to the wind, and needs less row-to-row spacing to avoid self-shading. The IR-15 also lowers to 0° in a few minutes when a hurricane is on the way.

Planning a new 15° array with 450 to 900W panels over 64 in long? The IR-EW15 racks two panels per frame in an East/West layout, and IntegraRack rates it as its most cost-effective system per kW.

If your latitude or seasonal goals fall between the two fixed angles, the IR-40FSA sets anywhere from 15° to 40° in 2.5° steps.

For seasonal tilt changes from 15° to 45°, the IR-45ASA adjusts each panel on its own arm.

Ground Mount Solar Racking Without Concrete or Heavy Machinery

Every IR-15 and IR-30 frame anchors to the ground without rails, earth augers or post pounding, and IntegraRack's install manual covers five ways to hold it down. The IR EarthBallast system epoxies a geotextile sheet across the base tubes, and soil or crushed rock piled on the sheet holds the array in place.

The IR EarthScrew system drives 30 in screws into dense, compacted soil, and IntegraRack calls for testing each screw on site to at least 1,000 lb of uplift.

The IR BladderBallast is a 105-gallon water bladder that adds up to 875 lb of ballast per panel and doubles as emergency water storage. Bolting the base tubes to a concrete slab or footing with the SlabBallast kit gives the highest wind ratings. Base ballast, such as concrete curb stops or a water tote across the base tubes, makes a movable setup, with 3/4 in steel forming stakes at each base tube.

Grounding and Bonding Through the IR-F2 Flange Clamps

Each frame includes four IR-F2 flange clamp bonding brackets whose barbs bite into the panel frame and form the bonding path as the panels go on. The IR-F2 is a UL 2703 recognized component, so no separate bonding jumpers are needed between the panels in each row. IntegraRack calls for direct-to-earth grounding to NEC 250 and NEC 690 by a licensed electrician or solar contractor. Keep bare copper grounding wire clear of the aluminum and zinc-plated steel parts to avoid galvanic corrosion.

What You Need to Install the IR-15 and IR-30

• 1 in EMT conduit with at least 2 in extra past each end of the row, or one composite base tube per panel (every method except bolting to concrete)

• A screw gun with a 1/2 in socket, a 13 mm wrench, a 4 ft level, a tape measure and a string line (no impact gun on the thread-cutting bolts)

• Your chosen ballast or anchoring materials and the matching IntegraRack mounting kit

IntegraRack sets the leg bolts and clamp nuts at 10 ft-lb, and spacing the base tubes 1 in less than your panel width lines each frame up with the panel above it. Our team is happy to help with sizing your row: contact us.