The IntegraRack IR-30 is a new solar panel ground mount that’s available for dirt-cheap through Signature Solar. While we’re always skeptical of low-cost solar panel mounts, this thing might be the best balance of price, portability, and real-world usefulness we’ve ever tested.
If you want a solar panel mounting system you can install in minutes, that accepts almost any size of solar panel, and won’t break the bank, the IntegraRack Ground Mount should be on your shortlist. To explain why, we’re going to walk you through the installation process, what we like, what we don’t, and how it stacks up to other options, like PowerField’s PowerRacks, the EG4 BrightMount, and a few other options.
Before we jump into all of the reasons why we think this solar panel mount is such a good option, let’s take a look at the specifications, and what you’re getting for that low price:
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The IntegraRack IR-30 is a lightweight aluminum ground rack that is lightweight and ships in a small box. What makes it a bit different from most of the solar panel mounts that we usually review is the fact that it sells per-leg for a price of about $119 per piece.
Since each leg holds a single panel of pretty much any size, and then the legs can be connected together, or kept apart, the design offers tons of flexibility. Basically, you can use this IntegraRack system to custom-build your perfect solar panel mount.
Since each leg is an independent panel stand, it also makes installation a breeze: drop the two upright pieces into the base, tighten the bolts, drop the solar panel in, snug the clamps, and you’re done. Unless you purchase the optional adjustment arm, each solar panel is kept at a fixed 30° tilt, which is supposed to provide ideal year-round energy production for most locations across the United States.
As mentioned, this system is supposed to support solar panels of all sizes and wattage ratings, including the latest giant 800W solar panels. The rails also include conduit holes for more tidy wiring and there are additional holes for adding a grounding spike to each leg (which is included).
Think of it almost like a low-cost, high-quality LEGO-style solar panel mount. You purchase however many pieces you need, then you attach your panels. You can fit all kinds of different mismatched solar panels, or build a consistent solar panel array using one particular type of panel.
Now that you know what it is, let’s take a look at some of the things that stood out to us the most about this unique solar panel racking system:
We’re not exaggerating, it literally takes minutes to assemble each solar panel stand. Oh, and you barely need any tools to do it.
This has to be one of the IntegraRack IR-30’s best features. Not only does everything just slide into place, there’s no need to worry about precise spacing. Once you have everything how you want it, you just tighten it up, then slide your brackets to the width of your specific solar panels.
The height is also adjustable, so you can create a bit of a gap if you want more ground clearance, either for snow or just to get a lawn mower beneath your panels. The fixed 30° tilt is going to be fine for most solar panel arrays, but you can add the adjustable arms if you want a bit more flexibility.
It’s just a really simple, beginner-friendly solar panel mount that is perfect for pretty much any DIY solar setup.
Unlike most solar panel mounts, this IntegraRack system works with pretty much any size of solar panel. Even super simple mounts, like the $75 PowerField PowerRacks have panel-size restrictions, while the EG4 BrightMount can only accept solar panels that are a certain width.
The IntegraRack was designed to fit with most solar panels. As long as the PV module reaches from top to bottom, it will fit. We tested it with huge 570W solar panels, which were the biggest we had available, and they fit comfortably. The manufacturer even says these panel stands will fit the biggest residential solar panels on the market, which is crazy.
As mentioned above, you can also attach panels of different sizes. Nothing about your setup has to be uniform if you don’t want it to be. If you have a few 200W panels laying around, but want to add some bigger, higher wattage panels, you can use both styles on the same mount.
That flexibility also lets you pick up panels that are on sale without having to worry if they’ll actually fit your solar panel rack. Whether you’re buying individual low-cost panels from Shop Solar, or a full pallet of panels from Signature Solar, it makes ordering easier and cheaper.
Even though they have an all-metal build, each leg is really lightweight. They also ship in a small, portable box, making it really easy to transport these stands to remote locations, like a cabin, tiny home, cottage, or any other type of off-grid property.
When we previously tried to transport and assemble the bulky Chiko GroundFlex at an off-grid location, just getting the heavyweight components out there was a huge pain. Even with the use of an ATV, it took us all day. If we had been using these IntegraRack Mounts instead, it would have been a way easier job.
At just around $119 per leg, the IntegraRack IR-30 is priced alongside low-end options, like the Eco-Worthy Solar Panel Stand and other cheap mounts you can order on Amazon.
While we kind of question whether this system is actually constructed of “aircraft-grade” aluminium, there’s no denying that the aluminum uprights and stainless-steel fasteners look and feel like high-quality components. Plus, it's made in the USA, which is a lot more than we can say for most of the solar panel mounts you find at this price point.
Once assembled, it also looks really professional. We have about six different solar panel mounts in our backyard, and the IntegraRack Ground Mount is easily the best-looking setup we have. For something this budget-friendly and easy to assemble, you’d expect it to have a real Ikea look, but we have been really impressed with its strength and appearance.
The IntegraRack also gives you a variety of options when it comes to mounting these stands. You can stake the legs into the ground, bury the conduits, anchor the feet with concrete blocks, or fasten it to a DIY wooden frame.
Whether you want a more permanent install, or just something that will last a few seasons before you move it, you have plenty of options. Since we are constantly testing new solar panel racks and mounts, we wanted to have the option to move it around seasonally, so we went with basic ground stakes to keep it in place.
Since we staked it into place, it has held up through a high-wind storm. During this same storm, some of the other lightweight solar panel stands we have in the backyard have tipped over and become damaged. This combination of flexibility and durability is a huge plus, especially given this is also one of the most affordable solar panel stands we’ve ever tested.
Honestly, there just weren’t many real negatives we could call out when we put this thing together and tested it with a variety of solar panels. Still, nothing is perfect, so here’s the only real gripe we could find:
The fact that such an affordable solar panel rack even comes with a grounding spike for each section is impressive, so we can’t really complain too much about it. However, those included ground spikes are designed to split open once they are in the ground, but the thinner metal actually ended up breaking when we tried to drive them into the ground.
The IntegraRack’s instructions actually recommend pre-drilling holes into the ground before inserting the grounding spike, then filling the tube with an epoxy that will hold it in place. For a lot of homeowners, us included, that epoxy method would be overkill, and actually just complicates something that should be easy.
When we installed the ground spikes, we ended up cutting off the flared tips, then just driving them into the ground the old-fashioned way. Again, it’s a really minor gripe, but we still wanted to point out that they're a little bit over-engineered and flimsy.
Honestly, the IntegraRack IR-30 is one of the best DIY solar panel ground mounts we have ever tested. It’s easy to set up, lightweight, works with almost any panel, and costs a fraction of commercial-grade systems.
Even if you wanted to expand it to the size of something like the Chiko GroundFlex, you could just buy enough modules to give you that same solar panel capacity, but it would still work out to about half the price.
In the grand scheme of things, that ground spike issue is a really minor complaint, especially given how versatile, affordable, and clean the entire setup looks once you install it. The fact it will also work with just about any solar panel also means that it can grow with you, and it looks professional enough that it works for residential, commercial, and off-grid solar panel arrays.
If you want a DIY-friendly ground mount that won’t force you to buy specific panels or a forklift to install, the IR-30 is hard to beat. If you’d still like to see how it stacks up to other solar panel mounting systems, check out our buyer’s guide: Best Solar Panel Mounts Ranked & Reviewed
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