Patent Application
20150295533
The field relates generally to mounting systems for solar modules and, more specifically, to racking systems for mounting solar modules.
Solar modules for converting solar energy into other forms of useful energy (e.g., electricity or thermal energy) are typically mounted on a support surface by a frame or rack. This rack is also typically mounted to position the solar module at an angle relative to the support surface to minimize an angle of incidence between the solar module and the solar rays. Minimizing the angle of incidence increases the amount of solar energy gathered by the solar module.
Racks are typically formed from a plurality of structural members. These members may be assembled into a rack at a factory or other remote site and then transported to an installation location. The structural members may also be transported to the installation location and then assembled to form the racks on site.
Regardless of whether the rack is assembled at a remote location or at the installation location, a more efficient racking system that reduces the cost of the system and the time and labor required to install the system is needed.
This Background section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
In one aspect, a fixed tilt racking system for mounting solar modules to a structure includes a support rack. The support rack has a first truss and a second truss, a crossbeam, a frame assembly, a ballast, and a solar module. Each of the first truss and the second truss has a runner, a spacer, a brace, and a support. The runner defines a forward portion, a rearward portion, and a longitudinal length. The spacer extends longitudinally forward from the forward portion of the runner to space the fixed tilt racking systems with respect to another fixed tilt racking system at predetermined distance. The brace is connected with and extends vertically from the runner along the rearward portion. The support is connected with and extends vertically from the runner at a location rearward from the brace. The support is connected with the brace. The crossbeam is connected with and extends horizontally from the forward portion of the runner of the first truss to the forward portion of the runner of the second truss.
The frame assembly is connected with and extends horizontally from the support of the first truss to the support of the second truss. The frame assembly has a mounting bar, a footer, and a plurality of stringers. The mounting bar extends across a top of the frame assembly. The footer extends across a bottom of the frame assembly. Each of the plurality of stringers extends vertically from the mounting bar to the footer. Each of the plurality of stringers is in a spaced relation with another of the plurality of stringers. The ballast is mounted to the frame assembly. The solar module is supported by the crossbeam along a forward edge of the solar module and by the mounting bar along a rearward edge of the solar module. The solar module is substantially unsupported along each side edge.
In another aspect, a fixed tilt racking system for mounting solar modules to a structure includes a support rack. The support rack includes a first and second truss, a crossbeam, a frame assembly, and ballast. Each of the first truss and the second truss has a runner, a brace, and a support. The runner defines a forward portion, a rearward portion, and a longitudinal length. The brace is connected with the runner along the rearward portion of the runner The support is connected with the runner at a location rearward from the brace and is connected with the brace. The crossbeam connects the first truss with the second truss along the forward portion of each runner The frame assembly is connected with and extends horizontally from the support of the first truss to the support of the second truss. The ballast is connected with the frame assembly and each support.
Various refinements exist of the features noted in relation to the above-mentioned aspects. Further features may also be incorporated in the above-mentioned aspects as well. These refinements and additional features may exist individually or in any combination. For instance, various features discussed below in relation to any of the illustrated embodiments may be incorporated into any of the above-described aspects, alone or in any combination.
Referring to
As shown, fixed tilt racking system 10 includes two solar modules 12 adjacent to one another, but in other embodiments, one or more solar modules 12 may be mounted in the racking system 10. Additionally as shown in
Solar module 12 is shown in more detail in
As shown in
The frame 32 circumscribes solar panel 30. Frame 32 is coupled to solar panel 30 and assists in protecting the edges of solar panel 30. Exemplary frame 32 includes an outer surface 40 spaced apart from solar panel 30 and an inner surface 42 adjacent to solar panel 30. Outer surface 40 is spaced apart from and substantially parallel to inner surface 42. Outer surface 40 of frame 32 defines a forward edge 44, a rearward edge 46, and side edges 48 of solar module 12.
In the exemplary embodiment, frame 32 is made of aluminum such as for example, 6000 series anodized aluminum. In other embodiments, frame 32 may be made of any other suitable material providing sufficient rigidity including, for example, rolled or stamped stainless steel, plastic, or carbon fiber.
Referring again to
Ballast 14 acts as a wind deflector to inhibit or prevent wind from entering under the modules 12 of the system 10. The ballast 14 thereby prevents the system 10 from moving relative to the support structure due to wind entering from the backside of the modules 12. Ballast 14 also provides a downward force (an anchoring force) to the racking system 10.
Referring to
As shown in
Brace 100 is attached to runner 80 along the rearward portion 84 and extends vertically upward at a rearward angle. Support 110 is attached to runner 80 at a location rearward of brace 100 and extends vertically upward at a forward angle. Support 110 and brace 100 are connected, such that support 110 extends vertically above brace 100.
Support 110 includes a first strut 112 and a second strut 114. In this embodiment, first strut 112 and second strut 114 are substantially identical and may be used interchangeably. However, the struts may have different configurations. For example, the struts need not be interchangeable.
Crossbeam 120 connects the forward portion 82 of one runner 80 to the forward portion 82 of another runner 80. As shown in
In this embodiment, crossbeam 120 is suitably made of bent aluminum sheet metal. However, other material and means of construction may be used to manufacture the crossbeam. Among the various materials and manufacturing processes that may be used are plastic, other metals, extruded bars, and molded bars. Other configurations of the crossbeam are also contemplated, including shapes that allow solar module 12 to be attached to an upper surface of the crossbeam.
Frame assembly 130 is attached to each pf the pair of trusses through the respective support 110. Frame assembly 130 includes a mounting bar 140, a footer 150, and a plurality of stringers 160.
As best shown in
As shown in
Rib 170 is located rearward of ballast 14 and extends approximately across the length of the ballast. The rib 170 is suitably connected to supports 110 by fasteners 180 extending through ballast 14. Thus, a positive locking system is provided across the length of the ballast 14 for securing the ballast to support rack 16. The rib 170 and the fasteners 180 are externally visible, and thereby provide a visible quality check because their absence is easily seen.
As discussed above, the forward edge 44 of solar module 12 is sized to fit into the center of crossbeam 120. Top leg 122 and bottom leg 124 act to vertically retain forward edge 44 within the center of crossbeam 120. Web 126 acts to limit forward longitudinal movement of forward edge 44. Alternatively, a positive fastening means may be used to retain solar module 12 within crossbeam 120.
The rearward edge 46 of solar module 12 is attached to mounting bar 140 of frame assembly 130 to inhibit vertical and horizontal movement of rearward edge 46 with respect to mounting bar 140 and to inhibit rearward longitudinal movement of solar module 12 by providing a rear stop. As shown in
By inhibiting vertical, horizontal, and longitudinal movement of the solar panel 12, the support rack 16 provides a load path to transfer loads from solar module 12 into frame assembly 130. Thus, the solar module 12 forms a portion of the structure (i.e., the module is a structural member) of fixed tilt racking system 10. As a structural member, solar module 12 is capable of transferring wind loads and other loads along frame 32 and into support rack 16.
The angle between runner 80 and solar module 12 is suitably between approximately 8° and approximately 15°, though other angles may be used. In this embodiment, the angle between runner 80 and solar module 12 is approximately 13°.
Components of the fixed tilt racking system 10 are suitably either extrusions that have been cut to length or bent or rolled sheet metal. Advantageously, the extruded or bent metal components are easy to manufacture and minimize the cost of the system. The extrusions are cut to length and placed into fixtures for pre-drilling. The sheet metal may be pre-drilled before forming As a result, the parts can be sub-assembled, transported to the site of installation, and then assembled and installed relatively quickly and inexpensively.
For example, runner 80, spacer 90, brace 100, and support 110 may be preassembled to form truss 70. The truss 70 is suitably formed by aligning the holes of the pre-drilled parts and attaching them to one another. In another embodiment, the spacer 90, brace 100, and support 110 are attached to the runner 80 and folded to reduce the overall space needed to transport the truss 70.
Frame assembly 130 is also preassembled by aligning mounting bar 140, footer 150, and the plurality of stringers 160 and attaching them together. The preassembled trusses 70 and frame assemblies 130, crossbeam 120, and rib 170 are then bundled together into a kit and transported to the installation sight. Solar modules 12 and ballast 14 may be transported to the installation site either separately from or together with the bundled parts.
Once at the installation site, the trusses 70 may be unfolded and the brace 100 and support 110 attached to each other to form the side of the support rack 16. Then the trusses 70, frame assembly 130, and crossbeam 120 are assembled together before being attached to the structure. After attachment of the assembly is attached to the structure, solar modules 12, ballast 14, and rib 170 are attached to the assembly.
The embodiments of the fixed tilt racking system and method for installation described herein provide a rack system with a lower associated cost to manufacture and to install when compared to prior systems and methods. For example, most of the parts described are simple extrusions of low complexity. The extrusions are pre-cut to specified lengths. The sheet metal parts include simple bends that are relatively easy to manufacture. Both the extrusions and the sheet metal parts are pre-drilled at specific locations to ease assembly. The subassemblies are then quickly and easily manufactured by aligning the pre-drilled holes and attaching the parts together using conventional methods. Further, the present embodiment allows the majority of parts to be made and preassembled in mass quantity.
The subassemblies and parts are bundled together and transported to the installation site. The bundled subassemblies and parts reduce the area needed to transport and store the support rack, while reducing the parts required to be tracked and assembled at the installation site. Additionally, the fixed tilt racking system can quickly be assembled at the installation site using a reduced number of fasteners.
When introducing elements of the present disclosure or the embodiments thereof, the articles “a”, “an”, “the” and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising”, “including” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. The use of terms indicating a particular orientation (e.g., “top”, “bottom”, “side”, etc.) is for convenience of description and does not require any particular orientation of the item described.
As various changes could be made in the above without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2013/067178 | 10/29/2013 | WO | 00 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61719651 | Oct 2012 | US |
