As I believe we have spoken about in the past, I have considered building a free standing array at my house.
I would build the frame and platform myself if it was a static array.
A friend in town has a solar tracking array. I pass by his house everyday to and from work. It sits out in the middle of his pasture. There is not a tree within 150’ or more of it. He said it cost $32K to install prior to any tax incentives.
However, his calculations are that it will pay off years quicker than if he had built a static array. He does not have batteries. So, his calculations are entirely based on the NET METERING locked in with Eversource and the state of NH.
I chose not to get a tracking system. To me it was adding moving parts that might break down in the future and increase my odds of needing repairs. I realized that for the same amount of money, instead of adding a tracking system I could simply add more solar panels and achieve the same increase in solar kWh without adding mechanical parts. The only moving parts in my entire solar system are the fans within my inverters.
To be fair to your friend about net metering, he lives in NH. Here in Alabama it's cheaper to be mostly energy independent regardless of if you sell power to the grid. Not only do we get a lot more sun, but the part of the year that we get the most sun (late spring to early fall) is the part of the year that we consume the most power for running the A/C. And we need to run the A/C more in the day than in the night. On top of that, my wife and I are usually home part of the day -- charging the EV while the sun is shining.
<>P> Thus I need less battery storage to make it through most nights without pulling from the grid than someone in NH would, who works in the office during the day and having to charge his EV at night, including in the part of the year that's most energy intensive to him (winter) when he gets less sun and has to run the heat more at night than during the day. Completely different from people in NH trying to lower their heating costs in the winter -- the time of the year they get less sun.
So even though I just said it's best to pretend net metering doesn't exist for the long term, I'll admit it's easier for me to say that in Alabama than if I lived in NH, where net metering might be vital to whether or not solar is worth it.