The SolarCAM® system
Engineered in a farm-equipment shop. Built to be adjusted, not admired.
A patented ground mount that balances the panels over a central pipe so one person can change the tilt angle with a crank and two cam locks.
Why tilt matters
The sun moves. Your panels should too.
The sun sits about 47° higher in the sky in June than in December. A fixed array is set at one compromise angle year-round. SolarCAM lets you set a steep winter angle that sheds snow and catches low sun, then flatten out for summer.
In our own side-by-side measurement with a calibrated solar instrument, the 45° winter setting collected 949 W/m² while a 25° fixed-tilt panel collected 787 W/m², a 20% difference on that day. Over a 30-year system life, seasonal adjustment keeps paying.
Four adjustments a year
Under a minute per row
Open the cam locks, crank the jack, close the cam locks. The video shows a complete seasonal adjustment.
Left: changing the tilt angle. Right: the only routine maintenance, a small dose of white grease on the jack about every three years.
Specifications
What you’re buying
| Component | SolarCAM standard | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Mounting structure | Patented adjustable-tilt steel stand, engineered by Craig Welding & Manufacturing | PE-certified for 90 mph wind; insurable like any permanent farm structure |
| Tilt range | Seasonal settings from flat summer to steep winter angle | Snow sheds on its own; up to 20% more winter production than fixed tilt |
| Panels | Heliene bifacial modules, made in Minnesota, Florida and Ontario | North American manufacturing; 25-year warranty; bifacial rear-side gain on a ground mount |
| Inverters | APsystems microinverters (Enphase available on request) | Module-level monitoring; a shaded or faulted panel doesn’t drag down the row; no high-voltage DC |
| Monitoring | APsystems EMA app, included | See today’s production, panel by panel, on your phone |
| Installation | Our own in-house crew, Rochester IN | The company that sells the system installs it and services it |
| Service | Microinverter swaps, tilt help, warranty claims | Local trucks and a parts counter that has been open since 1984 |
Ground mount vs. roof
Why we stopped putting panels on roofs
- No roof penetrations, no leaks, no re-roofing around panels in year 15
- Panels face true south at the ideal angle instead of whatever the roof gives you
- Easy to wash, inspect and clear of snow from the ground
- Air flow under the array keeps panels cooler and more efficient
- Scales from 8 panels behind a house to 10 acres beside a plant
See one in person
There are SolarCAM systems within a short drive of almost anywhere in north-central Indiana and east-central Illinois, including the USDA Service Center in Rochester. Ask us for the nearest one.