Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
SEGOOOOCADOO
SOLAR PANEL GROUND MOUNT SYSTEM AND METHOD OF
INSTALLING AND CHANGING TILT ANGLE OF RACK ASSEMBLY
THEREOF
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(1) Field of the Invention
The invention pertains generally to ground mount systems for solar panels.
More specifically, the
invention relates to a solar panel ground mount system supporting cost-
effective installation of a
solar panel rack assembly thereon and periodic changing of tilt angle of said
rack assembly to
optimize power generation during different seasons.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Generating electricity from solar power is an environmentally friendly way to
make use of sunlight
that would otherwise go to waste. Although beneficial for any location where
sunlight is in
abundance, solar power is especially advantageous for generating electricity
in remote
communities where grid-based power lines are cost-prohibitive to install.
One type of solar panel installation involves a ground mount system where a
rack holding a
plurality of solar panels is mounted on a supporting pole. The ground mount
system often has a
single axis of adjustment for changing an angle of the rack with respect to
the horizon to better
collect sunlight given a particular location where the ground mount system is
installed. Since there
are changes in the angle of sunlight striking the surface of the Earth
throughout the year, the angle
of the solar panel rack can also be adjusted to optimize power generation in
different seasons.
However, there are several problems with existing ground mount solar panel
systems.
For one, installation of a typical system is troublesome. In a commercially
available system, the
rack is assembled on top of the supporting pole piece-by-piece and then the
solar panels (sometimes
referred to in the industry as "the glass") are lifted up and attached to the
rack. Both the assembly
of the rack itself and the lifting and installation of the glass is performed
by workers balancing
themselves on ladders. These workers need to handle long runs of metal and
solar panels along
with bolting various elements together all while standing on a ladder. Ladder-
based work like this
can be both dangerous and time consuming.
Another problem with typical ground mount systems is the difficulty and
associated expense of
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making the seasonal adjustment of tilt angle to optimize power generation.
In a commercially available ground mount system, the tilt angle is adjusted by
movement of a
slotted bar that extends between the supporting pole and a horizontal beam of
the pivotable panel
rack. As the slotted bar is extended, the bottom edge of the solar rack is
pushed upwards and the
rack pivots such that the solar panels mounted on the rack are angled more
horizontally. As the
slotted bar is retracted, the bottom edge of the solar rack is pulled toward
the supporting pole and
the rack pivots such that the solar panels are angled more vertically. When
the proper tilt angle is
obtained, a person re-attaches the slotted bar to a connection point at the
pole utilizing the closest
available slot in order to thereby fix the tilt angle.
However, it can be difficult to know when the proper angle has been reached.
Trained individuals
must measure or otherwise determine when the tilt angle is correct for a given
season. Furthermore,
the rack with the installed solar panels is very heavy. Without support
holding the rack up, the
bottom edge of the rack would fall downward in an arc right into the
supporting pole, possibly
crushing a person standing therebetween. Movement of the slotted bar upon
disengagement with
the pole may also catch the fingers of a person causing serious injuring. For
these reasons, tilt angle
adjustments are generally not handled by the end user. Instead, when a tilt
angle adjustment is
needed, a service call is made by a vendor that supports the system. The
vendor dispatches a team
where multiple individuals support the bottom edge of the rack and hold it
steady while the slotted
bar is detached and reattached by another person specially trained to set the
proper tilt angle. In
addition to being complicated to properly perform, these periodic service
calls for seasonal tilt
angle adjustments add an undesirable ongoing cost to the solar panel system.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention there is disclosed a
solar panel ground
mount system including an upper post and a crossarm assembly mounted to the
upper post to form
a T-shape. The crossarm assembly includes a fixed hub and a rotatable hub that
are rotatable with
respect to each other around an axis of rotation running lengthwise down the
crossarm assembly.
The fixed hub has a fixed alignment plate with one or more fixed alignment
holes mounted at an
end. The rotatable hub has a bracket for mounting a solar panel rack assembly
and a rotatable
alignment plate with one or more rotatable alignment holes thereon. The
rotatable alignment plate
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and fixed alignment plate are mounted adjacently in substantially parallel
planes. As the rotatable
alignment plate rotates relative to the fixed alignment plate, a rotatable
alignment hole aligns with
a fixed alignment hole such that a locking pin can be inserted therethrough to
prevent rotation of
the rotatable hub with respect to the fixed hub.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention there is disclosed a
solar panel ground
mount system including an upper post running from a lower end for mounting on
a pile to an upper
end extending above the pile. The system further includes a fixed hub having a
tubular structure
fixedly mounted substantially perpendicular to the upper end of the upper
post, the fixed hub having
a first end extending to a second end along a lengthwise axis. The system
further includes a fixed
alignment plate fixedly mounted at an end of the fixed hub in a first plane
substantially
perpendicular to the lengthwise axis of the tubular structure, the end being
one of the first end and
the second end, the fixed alignment plate having one or more fixed alignment
holes positioned on
the fixed alignment plate at a predetermined radial distance from the
lengthwise axis. The system
further includes a rotatable hub within the tubular structure of the fixed
hub, the rotatable hub
rotatable around the lengthwise axis within a hollow interior of the fixed
hub, the rotatable hub
having a length longer than the fixed hub such that the rotatable hub extends
past the first end and
the second end of the fixed hub. The system further includes a bracket fixedly
mounted to the
rotatable hub on an exposed section of the rotatable hub that extends past the
end of fixed hub, the
bracket for mounting a solar panel rack assembly. The system further includes
a rotatable alignment
plate fixedly mounted to the rotatable hub on the exposed section of the
rotatable hub, the rotatable
alignment plate mounted such that the rotatable alignment plate is adjacent
the fixed alignment
plate in a second plane substantially parallel to the first plane of the fixed
alignment plate, the
rotatable alignment plate having one or more rotatable alignment holes
positioned on the rotatable
alignment plate at the predetermined radial distance from the lengthwise axis.
Combinations of the
one or more rotatable alignment holes with the one or more fixed alignment
holes define a plurality
of relative rotational angles between the rotatable alignment plate and the
fixed alignment plate.
For each of the relative rotational angles, a respective rotatable alignment
hole aligns with a
respective fixed alignment hole such that a locking pin can be inserted
therethrough to lock the
rotatable alignment plate to the fixed alignment plate at a corresponding
relative rotational angle
and thereby prevent rotation of the rotatable hub with respect to the fixed
hub away from the
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corresponding relative rotational angle.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention there is disclosed a
method of installing
the solar panel ground mount system. The method includes prebuilding a single
pole mount
structure comprising the upper post, the fixed hub, the fixed alignment plate,
the rotatable hub, the
bracket, and the rotatable alignment hub. The method further includes
transporting the single pole
mount structure as prebuilt to an installation site, transporting a plurality
of supporting beams of
the solar panel rack assembly to the installation site, and assembling the
solar panel rack assembly
at the installation site before mounting any part of the solar panel rack
assembly to the single pole
mount. The method further includes installing a plurality of solar panels on
the solar panel rack to
thereby form the solar panel rack assembly in an assembled state before
mounting any part of the
solar panel rack assembly to the single pole mount. The method further
includes installing the
single pole mount structure on a pile at the installation site, lifting the
solar panel rack assembly in
the assembled state and holding adjacent the bracket on the single pole mount,
and securing the
solar panel rack assembly in the assembled state to the bracket on the single
pole mount.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention there is disclosed a
method of changing
a tilt angle of the solar panel rack assembly while mounted on the solar panel
ground mount system.
The method includes removing the locking pin from at least one of the fixed
alignment plate and
the rotatable alignment plate, moving the solar panel rack assembly to a
desired angle thereby
rotating the rotatable alignment plate to a new relative rotational angle with
the fixed alignment
plate, and inserting the locking pin such that it passes through at least one
alignment hole on each
of the fixed alignment plate and the rotatable alignment plate at the new
relative rotational angle.
Advantages of some embodiments include that the solar panel ground mount
system is built on the
ground, which, besides being much quicker and avoiding significant ladder
work, also allows for
the building of a stronger frame more resistant to strong wind conditions on
locations with
abundance of sunlight such as prairies, as well as providing sufficient
stiffness to allow it to be
lifted during with the glass attached without excess deflection.
Advantages of some embodiments include an easy to perform seasonal tilt angle
adjustment of the
solar panel rack. Combinations of alignment holes allow the person making the
adjustment to easily
determine and set an appropriate tilt angle for a given season. Further, in
some embodiments the
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locking pin is spring-loaded and thereby advantageously "snaps" into place to
automatically lock
the tilt angle upon the tile reaching the desired angle.
These and other advantages and embodiments of the present invention will no
doubt become
apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following
detailed description of
preferred embodiments illustrated in the various figures and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be described in greater detail with reference to the
accompanying drawings
which represent preferred embodiments thereof:
FIG. 1 shows a perspective front view of a solar panel ground mount system
according to an
exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 2 shows a perspective back view of the ground mount system of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of both the fixed and rotatable
structure of the single pole
mount of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of fixed elements of the single pole
mount of FIG. 1.
FIG. 5 illustrates a front view of the fixed elements as illustrated in FIG.
4.
FIG. 6 illustrates an end view of the fixed elements illustrated in FIG. 4.
FIG. 7 illustrates a top view of the fixed elements illustrated in FIG. 4.
FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of rotatable elements of the single pole
mount of FIG. 1.
FIG. 9 illustrates a front view of the rotatable elements illustrated in FIG.
8.
FIG. 10 illustrates an end view of the rotatable elements illustrated in FIG.
8.
FIG. 11 shows a side view of a bracket sidewall including a circular hole
through which the end of
the rotatable hub is inserted and the three bolt holes according to an
exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 12 illustrates a front view of the bracket sidewall of FIG. 11.
FIG. 13 illustrates a side view of a rotatable alignment plate including a
circular hole through which
the end of the rotatable hub is inserted along with eight alignment holes
according to an exemplary
embodiment.
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FIG. 14 illustrates a front view of the rotatable alignment plate of FIG. 13.
FIG. 15 illustrates a top view of the base plate of the bracket according to
an exemplary
embodiment.
FIG. 16 illustrates an end view showing the relative thickness of the base
plate of FIG. 16.
FIG. 17 illustrates a side view of the rotatable hub being a tubular structure
having inside surface
and outside surface according to an exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 18 illustrates an end view of the rotatable hub of FIG. 17.
FIG. 19 shows a close up perspective view of the solar panel rack assembly of
FIG. 1.
FIG. 20 shows a back view looking at the rack assembly of FIG. 1 from behind
the assembly.
FIG. 21 shows a front view looking at the rack assembly of FIG. 1 straight on
showing the surfaces
upon which the solar panels themselves will be mounted.
FIG. 22 illustrates a perspective view of assembling the rack assembly of FIG.
19 on the ground at
an installation site according to an exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 23 illustrates a front view of the organization of twenty solar panels on
top of the rack
assembly of FIG. 21 according to an exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 24 shows the front view of the solar panels mounted on the rack assembly
as per FIG. 23 with
the rack assembly shown in dotted lines behind the solar panels.
FIG. 25 shows a back view of the rack assembly with the solar panels mounted
on the front side of
the rack assembly as per FIG. 23.
FIG. 26 illustrates utilizing a picker truck to mount the single pole mount on
the pile according to
an exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 27 illustrates utilizing a picker truck to raise the solar panel rack
assembly in the assembled
state for mounting to the single pole mount according to an exemplary
embodiment.
FIG. 28 illustrates how the bottom side of the rack assembly rolls on wheels
along the ground
during the lifting process according to an exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 29 illustrates a front perspective view of the solar panel rack assembly
in the assembled state
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after being lifted by the picker truck such that the rack assembly is vertical
beside the single pole
mount according to an exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 30 illustrates a back perspective view of the solar panel rack assembly
in the assembled state
being secured to the brackets on the single pole mount according to an
exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 31 illustrates a cross sectional view of the crossarm assembly showing
the rotatable alignment
plate locked to the fixed alignment plate utilizing a locking bolt and a
spring-loaded locking pin
according to an exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 32 illustrates a cross sectional view of the crossarm assembly showing
the rotatable alignment
plate unlocked from the fixed alignment plate after the locking bolt is
removed and the spring-
loaded locking pin is pulled into the retracted position according to an
exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 33 illustrates a cross sectional view of the crossarm assembly showing an
end of the spring-
loaded locking pin biased to press against the rotatable alignment plate while
the tilt angle is being
changed according to an exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 34 illustrates an end view of the crossarm assembly showing a first tilt
angle slightly above
the horizon achieved when a first angle-setting hole is locked to the primary
alignment hole
according to an exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 35 illustrates an end view of the crossarm assembly showing a second tilt
angle mid-range
above the horizon achieved when a second angle-setting hole is locked to the
primary alignment
hole according to an exemplary embodiment.
.. FIG. 36 illustrates an end view of the crossarm assembly showing a third
tilt angle high above the
horizon achieved when a third angle-setting hole is locked to the primary
alignment hole according
to an exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 37 illustrates an end view of the crossarm assembly showing a fourth tilt
angle slightly above
the horizon but in an opposite direction for maintenance achieved when a
fourth angle-setting hole
is locked to the primary alignment hole according to an exemplary embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 shows a perspective front view of a solar panel ground mount system 100
according to an
exemplary embodiment. The system 100 includes a single pole mount (SPM) 102
that supports a
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solar panel rack assembly 104. FIG. 2 shows a perspective back view of the
ground mount system
100 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of both fixed and rotatable structure of
the single pole mount
102 of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 illustrates the single pole mount 102 in an assembled
state ready for usage
supporting the solar panel rack assembly 104. The single pole mount 102 in
this embodiment
includes an upper post assembly 200 and a crossarm assembly 202. The upper
post assembly 200
sits on top of a lower post assembly 204, and the lower post assembly 204
includes a pile set in the
ground. In this embodiment, the lower post assembly 204 is itself the pile set
in the ground.
The upper post assembly 200 includes an upper post 206 that extends from a
lower end 208 to an
upper end 210. A plurality of set bolts 212 are provided on the upper post 206
for helping to secure
the upper post assembly 200 to the pile 204. The set bolts 212 include four
bolts spaced around a
perimeter of the upper post 206 near the lower end 208 and four more bolts 212
around the
perimeter near a middle section. These eight bolts 212 and their positions
allow for leveling and
alignment of the upper post assembly 200 on the lower post assembly 204. A
post-locking hole 214
is provided on the upper post assembly 200 for further securing the upper post
206 to the pile 204
during the installation procedure, described further below.
The upper post assembly 200 further includes a crossarm assembly 202
consisting of two metal
tubes referred to herein as a fixed hub 216 and a rotatable hub 218, sized so
that one rotates inside
of the other. The axis of rotation of the rotatable hub 218 is the center line
running horizontally
down the center of the fixed hub 216. Only the fixed hub 216 being on the
outside is clearly visible
in FIG. 3; however, a small portion of the rotatable hub 218 is also visible
in FIG. 3 extending out
of the fixed hub 216 on the right side of the figure and the circular end is
visible passing through
the bracket sidewall 220 on the left side of the figure. The rotatable hub 218
is shown in its entirety
much more clearly in FIG. 8, for example.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, the fixed hub 216 is mounted to the top end 210 of
the upper post 206
substantially perpendicularly such that a T-shape is formed by the vertical
upper post 206 and the
horizontal fixed hub 216. The point of connection between the upper post 206
and the fixed hub
216 is a fixed mount such as a weld such that the fixed hub 216 does not move
relative to the upper
post 206. For additional support, diagonal supporting beams 222 are welded to
the fixed hub 216
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and the upper post 206.
A respective fixed alignment plate 224 is mounted to each end of the fixed hub
216, and a
corresponding respective rotatable alignment plate 226 is mounted near the
ends of the rotatable
hub 218. The fixed alignment plate 224 and the rotatable alignment plate 226
on each end are
adjacent each other and parallel to each other. The fixed alignment plate 224
is fixedly mounted
(i.e., welded or other permanent attachment) to the fixed hub 216 and
therefore does not move
relative to the fixed hub 216. The rotatable alignment plate 226 is fixedly
mounted to the rotatable
hub 218 and therefore the rotatable alignment plate 226 rotates relative the
fixed alignment plate
224 whenever the rotatable hub 218 rotates within the fixed hub 216. Both the
fixed alignment
plate 224 and the rotatable alignment plate 226 include alignment holes 228.
The holes 228 on the
fixed plate 224 are referred to hereinafter as fixed alignment holes 406 (see
FIG. 4) and the holes
228 on the rotatable plate 226 are referred to hereinafter as rotatable
alignment holes 800 (see FIG.
8).
Brackets 230 are fixedly mounted to the ends of the rotatable hub 218 such as
being welded to the
ends. Similar to the rotatable alignment plates 226, the brackets 230 are
rotated around the axis of
rotation of the rotatable hub 218 whenever the rotatable hub 218 is rotated
within the fixed hub
216.
FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of fixed elements of the single pole
mount 102 of FIG. 1. The
fixed elements include the upper post 206, the diagonal supporting beams 222,
the fixed hub 216
and the fixed alignment plates 224 on the ends of the fixed hub 216. The
structure of the fixed
alignment plates 224 on each end are the same in this embodiment. As shown in
the cutaway section
400, the fixed hub 216 is a tubular structure and includes a hollow interior
402 with open ends 404.
The open ends 404 and hollow interior 402 allow insertion of the rotatable hub
218 therewithin.
The fixed plates 224 each include one or more fixed alignment holes 406.
FIG. 5 illustrates a front view of the fixed elements as illustrated in FIG.
4, and FIG. 6 illustrates
an end view of the fixed elements illustrated in FIG. 4. In this embodiment,
the upper post 206 is
a tubular structure with an open bottom end 208 such that it can be fitted
over the pile 204. The
upper post 206 includes a mid-plate 500 being a horizontally mounted plate
welded in position
within the hollow interior of the upper post 206. When the upper post 206 is
lowered down onto
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the pile 204, the top of the pile 204 impacts the mid-plate 500 and the weight
of the solar panel
system 100 is supported by the mid-plate 500.
FIG. 7 illustrates a top view of the fixed elements illustrated in FIG. 4. As
illustrated, in this
embodiment, tubular spacers 700 such as cylindrical bushings are tack welded
to the rotating hub
218, and, during assembly, the rotating hub 218 with the bushings is slid
inside the fixed hub 216.
The tubular spacer 700 on one end can also be seen in the cutaway section 400
shown for
illustration purposes in FIG. 4. The spacers 700 are not intended as
structural supports but are
simply to help to center the rotatable hub 218 within the fixed hub 216 and
ensure there is a slight
gap between the inner surface of the fixed hub 216 and the outer surface of
the rotatable hub 218.
In some embodiments, one or more grease nipples are mounted on the fixed hub
216 to provide a
one-way channel from the outside environment to the internal gap. Periodically
during the year
such as each time a seasonal tilt adjustment is made, grease or other
lubricant may be applied to
this gap via the grease nipples to ensure smooth rotation.
FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of rotatable elements of the single pole
mount 102 of FIG. 1.
The rotatable elements include the rotatable hub 218, the rotatable alignment
plates 226 near each
end of the rotatable hub 218, and the brackets 230 mounted to each of the
rotatable hub 218. A
plurality of rotatable alignment holes 800 are drilled in each of the
rotatable plates 226.
FIG. 9 illustrates a front view of the rotatable elements illustrated in FIG.
8. As shown, the rotatable
hub 218 in this embodiment is a tubular structure, the rotatable alignment
plates 226 are mounted
near the ends of the rotatable hub 218, and the brackets 230 are mounted
substantially right at the
ends. Each of the brackets 230 includes two sidewalls 220 and a base plate
900. The structure of
the rotatable alignment plates 226 and brackets 230 on each end are the same
in this embodiment.
FIG. 10 illustrates an end view of the rotatable elements illustrated in FIG.
8. As shown, the
sidewalls 220 of the mounting bracket 230 include three bolt holes 1000 for
securing the rack
.. assembly 104 to the bracket 230. The rotatable alignment plate 226 includes
a plurality of eight
rotatable alignment holes 800 organized as two sets of four alignment holes
800. Each of the
alignment holes 800 is substantially a same radial distance from a center
point 1002 being the axis
of rotation of the rotatable hub 218 within the fixed hub 216. The alignment
plates 224, 226 in this
embodiment are generally circular with an additional tab 1004 extending from
the perimeter of the
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circular plates 224, 226. The tab 1004 on at least one of the plates 224, 226
includes an extra hole
1006 for hanging a locking bolt 3204 (see FIG. 31) when the tilt angle is
being adjusted, which is
further described in the following.
Although the rotatable elements are shown in FIGS. 8 to 10 being fully
assembled together outside
.. of the fixed elements of FIG. 5, in practical applications, the elements of
FIGS. 8 to 10 would not
be fully assembled in this manner until the rotatable hub 218 is inserted
within the fixed hub 216.
In manufacture, the fixed elements may be initially assembled as shown in FIG.
5; thereafter, the
rotatable hub 218 is inserted into the fixed hub 216 and then the remaining
rotatable elements
including the rotatable alignment plates 226 and brackets 230 are affixed to
the rotatable hub 218
in the manner shown in FIGS 8 to 10. In this way, the fully assembled single
pole mount 102 as
shown in FIG. 3 will be ready for usage.
FIGS. 11 to 18 illustrate a plurality of views of the parts forming the
rotatable elements illustrated
in FIG. 8.
In particular, FIG. 11 shows a side view of a bracket sidewall 220 including a
circular hole 1100
through which the end of the rotatable hub 218 is inserted and the three bolt
holes 1000. FIG. 12
illustrates a front view of the bracket sidewall 220 of FIG. 11 showing that
the sidewall is a simple
plate having a predetermined thickness.
FIG. 13 illustrates a side view of a rotatable alignment plate 226 including a
circular hole 1300
through which the end of the rotatable hub 218 is inserted along with eight
angle-setting holes 800
(i.e., also referred to in this embodiment as rotatable alignment holes 800),
each being substantially
the same distance from the center point 1002 of the axis of rotation of the
plate 226. The rotatable
plate 224 further includes a tab 1004 with an extra hole 1006. FIG. 14
illustrates a front view of
the rotatable alignment plate 226 of FIG. 13 showing the relative thickness of
the plate 226.
FIG. 15 illustrates a top view of the base plate 900 of the bracket 230 and
FIG. 16 illustrates an
end view showing the relative thickness of the base plate 900 of FIG. 16.
FIG. 17 illustrates a side view of the rotatable hub 218 being a tubular
structure having inside
surface and outside surface, and FIG. 18 illustrates an end view of the
rotatable hub 218 of FIG.
17.
FIGS. 19 to 21 illustrates various views of the solar panel rack assembly 104
of FIG. 1. In particular,
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FIG. 19 shows a close up perspective view of the solar panel rack assembly
104, FIG. 20 shows a
back view looking at the rack assembly 104 from behind the assembly, and FIG.
21 shows a front
view looking at the rack assembly 104 straight on showing the surfaces upon
which the solar panels
themselves will be mounted.
As illustrated in FIGS. 19 to 21, the rack assembly 104 in this embodiment
includes a plurality of
six full-width horizontal supporting beams 1900 each having a same first
length (e.g., 357 3/16
inches). These full-width horizonal supporting beams 1900 are positioned
parallel to one another
where the bottom three are substantially equal spaced apart (e.g., about 39
inch space), a next upper
one is spaced a little closer (e.g., 28 15/16 inches), and the top one is
spaced even closer (e.g., about
17 3/4 inches).
The rack assembly 104 further includes a plurality of five partial-width
horizontal supporting
beams 1902 each having a same second length (e.g., 240 inches), which is less
than the first length.
Each of the five partial-width horizontal supporting beams 1902 are
respectively mounted adjacent
to and centered along one of the six full-width horizontal supporting beams
1900. Since there are
only five partial-width horizontal supporting beams 1902, a top one of the six
full-width horizontal
supporting beams 1900 does not have an adjacent partial-width horizontal
supporting beam 1902.
The rack assembly 104 further includes a plurality of two full-height vertical
supporting beams
1904 each having a same third length (e.g., 166 1/16 inches). The two full-
height vertical
supporting beams 1904 are positioned perpendicular to the six full-width
horizontal supporting
beams 1900 and are symmetrically located either side of a center of each of
the six full-width
horizontal supporting beams 1900.
The rack assembly 104 further includes a plurality of three partial-height
vertical supporting beams
1906 each having a same fourth length (e.g., 17 3/4 inches). The fourth length
is less than the third
length of the full-height vertical supporting beams 1904. The three partial-
height vertical
supporting beams 1906 are mounted parallel to the two full-height vertical
supporting beams 1904
and are separated by at least one of the two full-height vertical supporting
beams 1904. Each of the
three partial-height vertical supporting beams 1906 connects the top one of
the six full-width
horizontal supporting beams 1900 with the top one of the five partial-width
horizontal supporting
beams 1902. In this way, the top full-width horizontal beam 1900 that does not
have an adjacent
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partial-width horizontal supporting beam 1902 is connected to the closest
partial-width horizontal
supporting beam 1902 via the three partial-height vertical supporting beams
1906.
From an electrical perspective, the rack 104 is designed to accommodate a
specific number of solar
panels 2300 (see FIG. 23) to maximize production from the array with the
specified inverter and
optimizer. Consideration may be given to the manufacturing process in that
standard metal sizes
such that lengths are utilized to minimize the number of cuts as well as scrap
metal. The rack
assembly 104 includes the above-described beams 1900, 1902, 1904, 1906, which
can easily be
mass produced. The assembled rack 104 has the various beams 1900, 1902, 1904,
1906 overlaid
on each other as illustrated and is also very easy to assemble at the
installation site. Beneficially,
the structure of the rack assembly 104 allows the rack 104 to be put together
on the ground.
FIG. 22 illustrates a perspective view of assembling the rack assembly 104 of
FIG. 19 on the ground
at an installation site according to an exemplary embodiment. Order of
assembly may be performed
as follows. The two full-height vertical supporting beams 1904 are positioned
on folding racks
2200 on the ground. The five partial-width horizontal supporting beams 1902
are laid on top of the
two full-height supporting beams 1904 and are bolted thereto. The three
partial-height vertical
supporting beams 1906 are laid in position perpendicular to the top partial-
width horizontal
supporting beam 1902 and these beams 1906, 1902 are bolted together. Then five
of the full-width
horizontal supporting beams 1900 are laid in place parallel onto the five
partial-width supporting
beams and the sixth full-width horizontal supporting beam 1900 is laid at the
top position
perpendicular to the vertical beams 1906. The full-width horizontal supporting
beams 1900 are
bolted in place and the rack assembly 104 is finished with the front face
facing upwards (the view
of FIG. 21), ready for mounting solar panels 2300 thereto.
FIG. 23 illustrates a front view of the organization of twenty solar panels
2300 on top of the rack
assembly 104 of FIG. 21 according to an exemplary embodiment. Like the rack
assembly 104 being
put together on the ground, the solar panels 2300 can also be attached to the
rack assembly 104 and
electrically connected together while the rack assembly 104 is on the ground.
For completeness,
FIG. 24 shows the front view of the solar panels 2300 mounted on the rack
assembly 104 with the
rack assembly 104 shown in dotted lines behind the solar panels 2300, and FIG.
25 shows a back
view of the rack assembly 104 with the solar panels 2300 mounted on the front
side of the rack
assembly 104.
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As shown, the twenty solar panels 2300 include two rows of eight solar panels
2300a each mounted
in portrait orientation and a single row of four solar panels 2300b mounted in
panoramic
orientation. The total width of each of the two rows of eight solar panoramic
panels 2300b
substantially matches the width of the rack assembly. The solar panels 2300a
in the portrait
.. orientation and the panels 2300b in the panoramic may be of different sizes
to effectively create a
substantially rectangular structure of twenty panels 2300 that, as much as
possible, covers the entire
available area of the rack assembly 104.
The solar panels 2300 are attached to the rack assembly 104 using off-the-
shelf clips and UnistrutTM
in a well-known manner so further details of the solar panel 2300 attachment
process is omitted
herein for brevity. However, it is again worth mentioning that the assembly of
the rack 104, the
mounting of the solar panels 2300 to the rack 104 as well as the electrical
wiring of the panels 2300
can all be done by workers on the ground while the rack assembly 104 is
supported on folding
racks 2200. Speed and safety of the assembly process are thereby greatly
increased in comparison
with prior art deployments which require ladder work for these steps.
FIG. 26 illustrates utilizing a picker truck 2600 to mount the single pole
mount 102 on the pile 204
according to an exemplary embodiment. A crane 2602 on the picker truck 2600
lifts the assembled
single pole mount 102 up above the pile 204 and then lowers it down onto the
pile 204.
In some embodiments, the full installation of the single pole mount 102
actually involves first
lifting the single pole mount 102 on the pile 204 such that the upper post 206
and the pile 204
engage in a manner where a first of the upper post 206 and the pile 204 is
inserted into a hollow
interior of a second of the upper post 206 and the pile 204. Workers then
utilize the set bolts 212 to
level and align the upper post 206 on the pile 204. Once properly aligned and
in position, the
workers mark a position of the upper post 206 on the pile 204 as leveled and
aligned through the
post-locking hole 214 provided through the tubular structure of the upper post
206. After marking
the position, the picker truck 2600 is then utilized to remove the single pole
mount 102 from the
pile 204.
Workers then create a second post-locking hole in the pile 204 according to
the position as marked.
This second post-locking hole may be created by a torch or drill. The picker
truck 2600 is then
utilized to lift the single pole mount 102 back onto the pile 204 and re-
leveling and aligning
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utilizing the set bolts 212. The workers then install a locking bolt through
the original post-locking
hole 214 and the second post-locking hole to thereby prevent the single pole
mount 104 being
removed from the pile 204 without first removing the locking bolt. Although
the weight of the
ground mount system 100 with solar panels 2300 installed is very heavy and
there is friction from
the set bolts 212 holding the upper post 206 to the pile 204, the post-locking
bolt acts as a secondary
safety to help ensure that even in extreme wind conditions the upper post 206
is not lifted off the
pile 204.
FIG. 27 illustrates utilizing a picker truck 2600 to raise the solar panel
rack assembly 104 in the
assembled state for mounting to the single pole mount 102 according to an
exemplary embodiment.
In this embodiment, lifting the solar panel rack assembly 104 in the assembled
state involves
positioning the solar panel rack assembly 104 in the fully assembled state
horizontally beside the
single pole mount structure 102 with a first side 2700 of the solar panel rack
assembly 104 closest
to the single pole mount structure 102. The first side 2700 is the side of the
solar panel rack
assembly 104 that is to be the top side after installation is finished. In
preferred embodiments, the
solar panel rack assembly 104 is assembled on the ground using the folding
racks 2200 in this
position so it is already positioned in this manner and ready to be lifted
after assembly. However,
it is also possible to move the rack assembly 104 in the assembled state on
the ground.
Once in position, the crane 2602 of the picker truck 2600 is attached the
first side 2700 of the solar
panel rack assembly 102 adjacent the single pole mount 102. Prior to lifting,
one or more wheels
2704 are attached to a second side 2702 of the solar panel rack assembly 104,
where the second
side 2702 is the opposite side of the solar panel rack assembly 102 and will
become the bottom
side after the rack assembly 104 is raised. The wheels 2704 may be attached
utilizing one or more
dollies 2706 that are temporarily attached to the second side 2702 of the rack
assembly 102 opposite
where the crane 2602 is going to lift.
The crane 2602 of the picker truck 2600 is then utilized to lift the solar
panel rack assembly 104
from the first side 2700. As the first side 2700 is lifted, the second side
2702 moves toward the
single pole mount structure 102 as a result of the one or more wheels 2704
rolling along the ground
surface under the solar panel rack assembly 104. FIG. 28 illustrates how the
bottom side 2702 of
the rack assembly 104 rolls on wheels 2704 during the lifting process
according to an exemplary
embodiment.
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FIG. 29 illustrates a front perspective view of the solar panel rack assembly
104 in the assembled
state after being lifted by the picker truck 2600 such that the rack assembly
104 is held vertically
beside the single pole mount 102 according to an exemplary embodiment. Once
lifted as shown in
FIG. 29, the wheels 2704 may be removed on the bottom edge 2702 and one or
more folding racks
2200 or other supports may be inserted under the bottom edge 2702 for extra
safety in case the
crane 2602 fails. Workers then attach the rack assembly 104 to the brackets
230 on the single pole
mount 102.
FIG. 30 illustrates a back perspective view of the solar panel rack assembly
104 in the assembled
state being secured to the brackets 230 on the single pole mount 102 according
to an exemplary
embodiment. The task to be performed involves securing three bolts 3000 per
bracket 230 in the
corresponding three bolt holes 1000 of the bracket 230. Each of the full-
height vertical supporting
beams 1904 of the rack assembly are bolted to a respective bracket 230.
Depending on the height
of the single pole mount 102, attaching the rack assembly 104 to the bracket
230 may involve a
worker climbing a ladder; however, it is for a significantly shorter period of
time than is required
by the prior art solutions where an entire rack assembly is built above the
pile and then solar panels
are mounted all by workers standing on ladders.
Beneficially, a method of installing the solar panel mounting system 100
described above involves
workers attaching the solar panels 2300 to a rack assembly 104 on the ground
and then lifting up
the fully assembled rack assembly 104 with glass 2300 already installed for
mounting to the
brackets 230 on the rotatable hub 218. This allows workers to do the bulk of
the assembly from the
ground which makes the process quicker and safer. In other commercially
available systems, the
rack is assembled on top of the pole from ladders, and then the glass is
lifted on top and attached,
again from ladders.
To support a design goal of this embodiment to be able to build the rack 104
and attach the glass
2300 to it on the ground and then lift the entire assembly 104 in the air, the
rack 104 is designed
with a laminated structure with the vertical and horizontal support beam
components 1900, 1902,
1904, 1906 sitting on top of one another. This minimizes the amount of
material (for economic
manufacturing reasons) while maintaining adequate stiffness to prevent
deflection when installing
the rack 104 on the single pole mount 102 with all the glass 2300 attached. It
is important to avoid
the rack 104 flexing too much when being lifted or the flex could break the
glass 2300 attached to
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it. The support beams 1900, 1902, 1904, 1906 and overlapping structure of the
rack assembly 104
are designed to be stiff enough to prevent excess deflection while minimizing
the amount of
material required.
In some embodiments, the rotatable alignment plates 226 are welded to the
rotating hub 218 so that
they sit just outside fixed alignment plate 224, which is welded to the fixed
hub 216. The alignment
holes 228 are drilled in these plates 224, 226 such that each of the four
angle-setting holes 800 in
a group on the rotatable plate 226 represent different angles one can tilt the
rack 104 to for
maximizing power output during different seasons. Any desired tilt angles
including for vertical
and horizontal maintenance and installation purposes may be designed by
drilling holes at desired
relative positions on the plates 224, 226. Given the angle that the brackets
230 are attached to the
rotatable hub 218, the various possible combinations of each of the rotatable
alignment holes 800
with a particular fixed alignment hole 224 define a plurality of relative
rotational angles between
the rotatable alignment plate 226 and the fixed alignment plate 224. These
various relative
rotational angles in turn correspond to a plurality of possible tilt angles of
the rack assembly 104
on the single pole mount 102.
The rotatable hub 218 fits snuggly inside the fixed hub 216 but can spin
within the fixed hub 216
to provide angle adjustment. As mentioned, in some embodiments, one or more
holes (i.e., grease
nipples) through the fixed hub allow applying grease or other lubricant
between the outer surface
of the rotatable hub 218 and the inner surface of the fixed hub 216 to
facilitate smooth rotation.
The rack brackets 230 are each welded to the rotating hub 216 in this
embodiment. During
assembly, the rack 104 with glass 2300 attached is lifted as one fully
assembled unit with a picker
truck 2600. The brackets 230 are then respectively bolted to the two full-
height vertical support
beams 1904 of the rack 104. The beams 1904 are aligned with the brackets 230
and three rack bolts
3000 are inserted through each of the vertical support beams 1902 and brackets
230 for a very
secure mount.
In some embodiments, the solar panel ground mount system 100 is efficiently
installed in three
phases performed in order as follows: ground work, mechanical work, and
electrical work. These
phases may be performed by separate teams that are mobilized, complete their
part at a specific job
site, and then move on to a next job. The teams may operate separately from
one another such on
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different days or different times during a single day.
Ground work involves setting the pile 204 in the ground, installing the
underground electrical
hardware from the transformer to each pole and staging the remaining equipment
for mechanical
assembly.
.. In FIG. 22, the ground work is completed, the single pole mount 102 is set
on top of the pile 204,
and the rack 104 is staged for assembly. In some embodiments, the single pole
mount 102 is
assembled offsite and comes as one piece from the shop. Since this component
arrives on site as
one piece that is set on the pile directly, this saves significant
construction time and makes
construction easier. It does require the installer have a picker truck 2600 or
other lifting device as
the assembled single pole mount 102 is very heavy, and further requires to
have access to a well-
equipped metal fab shop, but the speed of installation and the strength of the
single pole mount 102
itself are both significant resulting benefits.
In FIG. 27, all solar panels 2300 are installed on the rack 104 on the ground,
bolted together into
one assembly. This means the rack 104 has to be stronger (heavier) than prior
art designs to resist
deformation when being lifted. But, again, speed of installation and the
strength of the full ground
mount system 100 even in heavy winds are significant resulting benefits.
Furthermore, the
additional strength of the system 100 as described herein also beneficially
allows having a total of
twenty solar panels 2300. In comparison with other prior art commercial
systems that only have
sixteen solar panels, adding an additional four solar panels 2300 in this
embodiment helps to
maximize power output with given electrical equipment. In particular, the top
four panoramic
panels 2300b are additional panels supported by the rack assembly 104 of this
embodiment and
help maximize power output from a single pole using a given optimizer and
inverter.
As shown in FIG. 28, lifting the rack assembly 104 in the assembled state with
solar panels 2300
mounted thereon allows for very straightforward installation on top of the
single point mount 102.
The installation process can therefore be fast and cost effective.
In some embodiments, the upper post 206 of the single pole mount 102 is large
and runs from the
pile 204 all the way up to the horizontal cross member, i.e., fixed hub 216.
Beneficially, this
structure and size allows making use of piping materials readily available to
manufacturing shops
utilizing existing oil field materials. It also minimizes the number of
different components, which
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makes manufacturing more efficient, and makes the entire ground mount system
100 a much
stronger design. Although significantly heavier than other commercially
available system, the
weight in most applications will not be a disadvantage because the strong and
rigid structure
enables an installation process utilizing ground assembly and automated lift
with picker trucks
2600. The single pole mount 102 can be built in the shop to be one component
for manufacturing
efficiency as everything is cut and welded together using a jig which means it
can be manufactured
quickly. On-site, the single pole mount 102 simply needs to be lifted off the
trailer and set on the
pile pole 204.
In summary, embodiments of the ground mount system 100 disclosed herein
beneficially provide
for a strong and secure solar panel mounting structure that is easy to
manufacture, fast to install
because assembly can occur on the ground rather than in the air utilizing
ladders, and extremely
strong and resistant to damage from high winds.
The single pole mount 102 connects to a pile 204 in the ground and holds the
rack assembly 104
above the ground at a user-desired and dynamically configurable tilt angle.
Additionally, this
embodiment utilizes alignment plates 224, 226 with alignment holes 228 drilled
in them to set the
tilt angle of the panel array 104. Additional comments are provided below
regarding setting the tilt
angle.
FIG. 31 illustrates a cross sectional view of the crossarm assembly 202
showing the rotatable
alignment plate 226 locked to the fixed alignment plate 224 at a desired
rotational angle according
to an exemplary embodiment. The cross section of FIG. 31 is taken on a plane
that runs vertically
through the center of the axis of rotation between the fixed hub 216 and the
rotatable hub 218.
The rotatable alignment plate 226 on the left side of the diagram is coupled
to the rotatable hub
218, and the fixed alignment plate 224 on the right side is coupled to the
fixed hub 216. A spring-
loaded locking pin 3200 is mounted on the fixed alignment plate 224 and passes
through the plane
of the fixed plate 224 via a primary alignment hole 406a being the hole at the
top "12 o'clock"
position of the fixed alignment plate 224. The locking pin 3200 in FIG. 31 is
shown in an extended
position where it is pushed by the spring 3202 into the plane of the rotatable
alignment plate 226
where it enters into a selected angle-setting hole 800a on said plate 226.
In this embodiment, the fixed alignment plate 224 has a primary alignment hole
406a fixed at the
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12 o'clock position and the rotatable alignment plate 226 has a plurality of
angle-setting holes 800
moveable as the rotatable alignment plate 226 turns. Both the primary
alignment holes 406 and the
angle-setting holes 800 are positioned at a same predetermined radial distance
from the center point
1002 corresponding to the axis of rotation. In this way, as the rotatable
alignment plate 226 is
rotated around the axis of rotation 1002, each of the various angle-setting
holes 800 will in turn
align with the primary alignment hole 406a on the fixed plate 224. A plurality
of relative rotational
angles are thereby formed that each respectively correspond to the primary
alignment hole 406a
being aligned with one of the plurality of angle-setting holes 800. FIG. 31
shows how the plates
224, 226 are locked together at a particular relative rotation angle desired
by the user.
As shown in FIG. 31, the spring-loaded locking pin 3200 passing through the
planes of both plates
224, 226 via holes 406a, 800a prevents the plates 224, 226 from rotating and
thereby locks the tilt
angle of the solar panel rack 104. As a further security measure, a locking
bolt 3204 being another
type of locking pin is manually inserted through a second aligned pair of
rotatable alignment hole
800b and fixed alignment hole 406b. For instance, a secondary alignment hole
406b on the fixed
plate 224 may correspond to the fixed hole 406 at the 6 o'clock position.
The spring 3202 of the spring-loaded locking pin 3200 is biased to by default
hold the spring-
loaded pin 3200 in the extended position as shown in FIG. 31 unless a force of
the spring 3202 is
overcome to move the spring-loaded pin 3200 into a retracted position. For
example, a user may
manually remove the locking bolt 3204 and then pull on a handle 3206 of the
spring-loaded pin
3200 in order to pull the spring locking pin 3200 away from the rotatable
plate 226 into a retracted
position.
FIG. 32 illustrates a cross sectional view of the crossarm assembly 202
showing the rotatable
alignment plate 226 unlocked from the fixed alignment plate 224 after the
locking bolt 3204 is
removed and the spring-loaded locking pin 3200 is pulled into the retracted
position according to
an exemplary embodiment. As shown, the retracted position is such that the
spring-loaded pin 3200
does not extend into the plane of the rotatable alignment plate 226. In this
way, the rotatable
alignment plate 226 is free to rotate relative the fixed alignment plate 224.
FIG. 33 illustrates a cross sectional view of the crossarm assembly 202
showing an end of the
spring-loaded locking pin 3200 biased to press against the rotatable alignment
plate 226 while the
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tilt angle is being changed according to an exemplary embodiment. As
previously mentioned, the
spring 3202 of the spring-loaded pin 3200 is biased to by default hold the
spring-loaded locking
pin 3200 in the extended position unless the force of the spring 3202 is
overcome to move the
spring-loaded pin 3200 into the retracted position. Thus, once a user has
pulled the pin 3200 into
.. the retracted position (FIG. 32), as soon as rotation of the rotatable
plate 226 starts, the user can let
go of the spring-loaded locking pin 3200. The spring 3202 will push the end of
the pin 3200 onto
the side of the rotatable alignment plate 226. Because there is no angle-
setting hole 800 at this
relative rotational angle between the plates 224, 226, the pin 3200 simply
abuts against the side of
the rotatable plate 226 while the plate 226 continues to rotate. The rotation
of the plate 226
continues until the next angle-setting hole 800 aligns with the primary
alignment hole 406a, the
spring 3202 then pushes the locking pin 3200 into that new angle-setting hole
800 and rotation will
immediately stop.
Changing of the tilt angle may therefore be performed by a user as follows.
First, the user removes
the locking bolt 3204 and optionally stores it temporarily in the extra hole
1006 on the tab 1004 of
the rotatable alignment plate 226. The user then pulls the spring-loaded pin
3200 into the retracted
position and begins adjusting the tilt angle, which causes the rotatable plate
226 to rotate relative
to the fixed plate 224. Once rotation has started, the user lets go of the
spring-loaded pin 3200.
Rotation continues until a next angle-setting hole 800 is reached and then the
spring-loaded locking
pin automatically "snaps" into place (i.e., into the next angle-setting hole
800) and rotation
immediately stops. If the next hole 800 corresponds to the desired tilt angle,
the user installs the
locking bolt 3204 and the tilt adjustment is done. Otherwise, the user pulls
the spring-loaded pin
3200 into the retract position again and repeats the process for the next
angle-setting hole 800.
Different angle-setting holes 800 can be moved adjacent the primary alignment
hole 406a to
optimize the tilt angle of the solar panel rack assembly 104 with respect to
the sun in different
seasons. FIGS. 34 to 37 provides examples of setting different tilt angles by
selecting which one
of the plurality of angle-setting holes aligns and locks with the primary
alignment hole at the 12
O'clock position of the fixed plate.
FIG. 34 is an end view of the crossarm assembly 202 showing a first tilt angle
Al achieved when
a first angle-setting hole 800a is locked to the primary alignment hole 406a.
In this example, the
primary alignment hole is fixed at the 12 o'clock position of the fixed plate
224. While the locking
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pin 3200 passes through the combination of the primary alignment hole 406a and
the first angle-
setting hole 800a as shown in FIG. 34, the relative rotational angle of the
rotatable plate 226
corresponds to the first tilt angle Al of the rack assembly 104. This tilt
angle Al is low on the
horizon and may be suitable for winter months in the northern hemisphere, for
example.
FIG. 35 is an end view of the crossarm assembly 202 showing a second tilt
angle A2 achieved when
a second angle-setting hole 800b is locked to the primary alignment hole 406a.
While the locking
pin 3200 passes through the combination of the primary alignment hole 406a and
the second angle-
setting hole 800b as shown in FIG. 35, the relative rotational angle of the
plate 226 corresponds to
the second tilt angle A2 of the rack assembly 104. This tilt angle A2 is a mid-
range above the
horizon and may be suitable for spring and fall months in the northern
hemisphere, for example.
FIG. 36 is an end view of the crossarm assembly 202 showing a third tilt angle
A3 achieved when
a third angle-setting hole 800c is locked to the primary alignment hole 406a.
While the locking pin
3200 passes through the combination of the primary alignment hole 406a and the
third angle-setting
hole 800c as shown in FIG. 36, the relative rotational angle of the plate 226
corresponds to the
.. third tilt angle A3 of the rack assembly 104. This tilt angle A3 is very
high in the sky with respect
to the horizon and may be suitable for summer months in the northern
hemisphere, for example.
FIG. 37 is an end view of the crossarm assembly 202 showing a fourth tilt
angle A4 achieved when
a fourth angle-setting hole 800d is locked to the primary alignment hole 406a.
While the locking
pin 3200 passes through the combination of the primary alignment hole 406a and
the fourth angle-
setting hole 800d as shown in FIG. 37, the relative rotational angle of the
plate 226 corresponds to
the fourth tilt angle A4 of the rack assembly 104. This tilt angle A4
corresponds to the rack
assembly 104 being relatively low in the horizon but facing in an opposite
direction as compared
with the other angles Al -A3 of FIGS. 34-36. All of the available tilt angles
Al -A4 can be utilized
during maintenance of the wiring and other items on the back of the solar
panels 2300. However,
as shown in FIGS. 34-36, the first three angles Al -A3 all cause the bottom
edge 2702 of the rack
assembly 104 to be near the ground. However, sometimes there are wiring or
other structural repairs
that need to be made to near the top edge 2700 of the rack assembly 104. The
forth angle-setting
hole 800d and tilt angle A4 are included in this embodiment to facilitate
maintenance of the upper
elements of the rack 104 by moving the top edge 2700 of the rack 104 closer to
the ground. Ladder
usage may thereby be avoided and/or minimized by a worker performing
maintenance to the upper
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portion of the rack 104.
An exemplary advantage of some embodiments is that the rotatable alignment
plate 226 on the
rotatable hub 218 is directly adjacent to the fixed alignment plate 224 on the
fixed hub 216 reducing
possibility of pinching workers during rotation.
Another exemplary advantage of some embodiments is that much of the
conventionally
troublesome work of bolting up stiffening beams in the air and handling lots
of small components
and holding in place while installing up on a ladder are avoided. Instead,
assembling systems
disclosed herein can be done on the ground. Furthermore, the ground assembly
disclosed herein
allows the use of heavy-duty support beams and there are fewer individual
components per joint
which saves time during assembly.
In some embodiments, the rack 104 rotates on the full length of the horizontal
crossarm assembly
202, e.g., around the axis of rotation 1002 running lengthwise through the
fixed hub 216. This
allows the brackets 230 for mounting the rack assembly 104 to be welded
directly to the rotatable
hub 218, to be built of heavy gauge plate steel, and to utilize three bolts
instead of the conventional
one bolt done in a commercially available ground mount system. For fixing the
rack position, large
spring-based locking pins 3200 pop into place automatically when oriented over
the desired hole
800 in the rotatable alignment plate 226. The plates 224, 226 themselves are
made of heavy plate
and are welded directly to their respective hubs 216, 218. This eliminates the
pinch/cut hazard
associated with commercially available ground mount systems as the alignment
plates 224, 226
disclosed herein rotate directly adjacent to one another and prevent someone
to get their fingers
therebetween.
Mounting solar panels 2300 to a rack requires many connections, and a further
advantage of
embodiments disclosed herein is that all these connections and other work can
be performed on the
ground. Time consuming and dangerous ladder work is beneficially avoided.
Because of the
additional strength of the rack assembly 104 disclosed herein, the rack 104
also accommodates four
more panels 2300b in the panoramic orientation along the top row that are not
found in a
commercially available ground mount system. The structural capability for
additional panels 2300b
disclosed herein maximizes the amount of power generation the system 100 will
produce with the
optimizer and inverted that were specified.
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According to an exemplary embodiment, a solar panel ground mount system 100
includes an upper
post 206 and a crossarm assembly 202 mounted thereto forming a T-shape. The
crossarm assembly
202 includes a fixed hub 216 and a rotatable hub 218 that are rotatable with
respect to each other
around an axis of rotation 1002. The fixed hub 216 has a fixed alignment plate
224 with one or
more fixed alignment holes 406. The rotatable hub 218 has a bracket 2300 for
mounting a solar
panel 2300 rack assembly 104 and one or more rotatable alignment holes 800.
The rotatable
alignment plate 226 and fixed alignment plate 224 are mounted adjacently in
substantially parallel
planes. As the rotatable alignment plate 226 rotates relative to the fixed
alignment plate 224, a
rotatable alignment hole 800 aligns with a fixed alignment hole 406 such that
a locking pin 3200
can be inserted therethrough to prevent rotation of the rotatable hub 226 with
respect to the fixed
hub 224. The locking pin 3200 may be a spring-loaded and biased to
automatically extend
therethrough.
Although the invention has been described in connection with preferred
embodiments, it should be
understood that various modifications, additions and alterations may be made
to the invention by
one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention. For example, the
various steps of the methods disclosed above for installing the system and
adjusting the tilt angle
are not restricted to the exact order described, and, in other embodiment,
described steps may be
omitted or other intermediate steps added.
Although the above examples have shown alignment plates 224, 226 mounted on
both the first and
second ends of the hubs 216, 218, in some embodiments, these components are
only provided on
a single end. Have dual alignment plates 224, 226 ¨ one on each side of the
crossarm assembly 202
¨ is beneficial for strength; however, the system 100 will also still function
with a single fixed
alignment plate 224 and adjacent rotatable alignment plate 226. Thus, a single
alignment plate pair
may be mounted on a single end being one of the first end and the second end
of the crossarm
assembly 202. Likewise, although it is stronger and more resistant to single
points of failure to
secure the rack 104 at a particular tilt angle with multiple locking pins
3200, either spring-loaded
and/or manual, again, the system 100 will function with a single locking pin
3200.
Other types of modifications are also possible while still allowing the ground
based mount system
100 to operate in a similar manner. For instance, the above embodiments have
focused on the
rotatable hub 218 being within the tubular structure of the fixed hub 214.
This is beneficial and
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preferred because the design is simpler and longer sections of tubular
material can be used for
strength. However, in another embodiment, the rotatable hub 218 rotates on the
outside of the fixed
hub 216. To keep the same T-shape, the rotatable hub 218 in this embodiment is
split into two
tubular sections that rotate on each side of the upper post 206. The other
design elements including
the tilt adjustment of using the adjacent alignment plates 224, 226 is
otherwise very similar and
repeated description is omitted herein for brevity.
It is beneficial to have a primary alignment hole 406a on the fixed alignment
plate 224 and a
plurality of angle-setting holes 800 on the rotatable alignment plate 226.
However, it also possible
to have multiple angle-setting holes 800 on the fixed plate 224 and a primary
alignment hole 406a
on the rotatable alignment plate 226. The spring-loaded pin 3200 can also be
mounted on either the
rotatable plate 226 and/or the fixed plate 224 in different embodiments. To
facilitate additional
angles and security of the locking state, any number of fixed alignment holes
406 and rotatable
alignment holes 800 can be provided in the plates 224, 226 as desired.
Although the spring-loaded locking pin 3200 is beneficial to automatically
lock the plates 224, 226
as the rotation is made, in some embodiments, the spring-loaded mechanism of
the locking pin
3200 is omitted. Instead, the locking pin 3200 may just be a bolt 3204 that is
manually inserted and
removed by a user. Further, although utilizing both a spring-loaded locking
pin 3200 and a manual
locking bolt 3204 in combination is preferred for dual locking redundancy,
only a single locking
pin 3200 is utilized in some embodiments.
In yet another example modification, any number of brackets 2300 may be
mounted to the rotatable
hub 218. Having two brackets 230, one on each end of the rotatable hub 218 as
described above is
beneficial, however, in other embodiments, a single bracket 230 or more than
two brackets 230 are
utilized to achieve the same function of securing the rack assembly 104 to the
rotatable hub 218.
Furthermore, although the alignment plates 224, 226, the hubs 216, 218, and
the brackets 230 are
all shown as separate pieces in the above examples, in some embodiments any of
these pieces may
be combined into a single structure. For instance, the alignment plates 224,
226 may each be
integral to their respective hub 216, 218. Likewise, the alignment plate 226
on the rotatable hub
226 in particular may be formed by a part of the bracket 230 such as a
sidewall 220 of the bracket
230. In such an embodiment, for example, one or more alignment holes 800 may
be drilled into the
Date Recue/Date Received 2020-05-26
SEGOOOOCADOO
sidewall 220 of the bracket 230, where that sidewall 220 is positioned
adjacent to the fixed
alignment plate 224 and acts as the rotatable alignment plate 226.
Custom alignment holes 228 may be utilized for different installations
depending on geographical
location. For instance, the angle-setting holes 800 may be drilled in custom
positions of the
.. alignment plates 224, 226 for each installation. A site survey may be
conducted prior to installation
to determine the optimal angles for the seasons at the given location and then
custom fixed and/or
rotatable alignment plates 224, 226 may be fabricated with holes 228 drilled
such that they will
achieve the optimal angles when aligned. For instance, an installation near
the equator may have
very different optimal angles than an installation near the arctic. Likewise,
northern hemisphere
and southern hemisphere installations may benefit from different combinations
of alignment setting
holes 228.
Labeling may be provided right on the device such as on the outside of the
fixed hub 216 near the
alignment plates 224, 226 specifying to the user which angle-setting hole 800
is to be used for
which season. This can allow non-trained people such as the end user to easily
adjust the tilt angle
.. without necessarily requiring a service call to the support vendor.
Although the lifting part of the installation is beneficially performed by the
crane 2602 of picker
truck 2600 in the above examples, other types of lifting devices may be used
such as standalone or
other overhead cranes, winches, scissor lifts, forklifts, hoists, etc.
Although the rotation of the hubs 216, 218 with respect to one another may
certainly be a manually
performed operation done by pushing or pulling the solar rack 104 in the
desired direction, in some
embodiments, an actuator such as an electric motor having sufficient strength
(e.g., 20001bs) may
be utilized to slowly turn the rotatable hub 218 with respect to the fixed hub
216. The actuator may
be permanently mounted to the crossarm assembly 202 or another position on the
ground mount
system 100. Alternatively, the actuator may be temporarily attached during
tilt angle adjustment
.. and then removed afterwards. In some embodiments, the actuator is powered
by a battery power
source that is charged by electricity generated by the solar panels 2300
themselves. Advantages of
having the rotation be performed by an electric actuator include the ability
to control the speed of
rotation to be a relatively slow and controlled speed. Especially when
combined with embodiments
utilizing a spring-loaded locking pin 3200, the slow speed helps to ensure
that the locking pin 3200
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will have time to automatically extend into the next angle-setting alignment
hole 800 and lock the
tilt angle. Likewise, the speed also provides a safety aspect to help prevent
someone being pinched
between the frame and the post (e.g., while rotating towards winter position)
as the rotation speed
will be slow and well-controlled.
Functions of single units may be separated into multiple units, or the
functions of multiple units
may be combined into a single unit. All combinations and permutations of the
above described
features and embodiments may be utilized in conjunction with the invention.
27
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