Solar panel support arrangements
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- EP · EP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- S2H2BM CONCEPT AB
- Filing Date
- 2024-06-11
- Publication Date
- 2026-04-22
Smart Images
Figure EP2024066076_19122024_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001] Solar Panel Support Arrangements
[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD
[0003] The present disclosure relates to arrangements for mounting solar panels, and in particular to a modular solar panel support system, a solar panel suspension arrangement, a set of legs for a solar panel support system and a method of erecting such a leg.
[0004] BACKGROUND
[0005] As the demand for green energy increases, solar panels are becoming increasingly common. Both large businesses and private individuals may wish to install solar panels to obtaining a passive income from energy conversion or to harvest energy for his or her home and / or business.
[0006] It may be advantageous to arrange the solar panels at a certain height above the ground. By this means the ground beneath the solar panels may be utilized for other purposes, such as for agriculture, parking, sports and many other activities and installations.
[0007] However, present solar panels support systems tend to be bulky and difficult to install and often requires expensive equipment and / or professional installation services which adds to the overall cost of the solar panels. The difficulties of setting up solar panels may be especially limiting for small business owners and private individuals with less recourses.
[0008] SUMMARY
[0009] An object of the present disclosure to provide an enhanced solar panel support system.
[0010] Another object is to provide a solar panel suspension arrangement.
[0011] A further object is to provide a set of legs arranged to form part in a solar panel support system and a method of erecting such legs.
[0012] According to a first aspect, there is provided a modular solar panel support system comprising at least two base members arranged to be supported by a ground surface, wherein each base member comprises a base plate and a base post extending in an orthogonal direction relative to the surface of the base plate, each base post having a first outer circumference; at least two elongate uprights, each upright comprising a first tubular end portion having a first inner circumference and a second end portion having a second outer circumference, wherein the first inner circumference is larger than the first outer circumference; at least two tubular top members, each top member having a second inner circumference larger than the second outer circumference, and wherein an outer surface of each top member comprises a fastening arrangement; and at least one truss beam having two end portions, each end portion comprising a connecting arrangement for securing the respective end portion of the truss beam to the fastening arrangement of a respective top member, wherein each base post is arranged to be inserted into the first tubular end portion of a respective upright, and wherein the second end portion of each upright is arranged to be inserted into a respective top member.
[0013] Due to these features, a support system is provided which is comprised by easily assembled parts, allowing it to be easily transported and installed. Further, by arranging each base post to be inserted into the first tubular end portion and arranging each upright to be inserted into a respective top member, the support system maybe assembled by matching the correct pieces together. Thus, a support system is provided that may be installed by an intuitive installation process understandable even for a layman, without need for expensive equipment or professional installation services. The system may also be modular comprising a comparatively low number of different standardized components. During assembly, the system may easily be adapted to varying applications and conditions at the site simply by cutting e.g., the standardized uprights to appropriate lengths.
[0014] In one example, each base member, each truss beam, each upright, and each top member has a fixed length. Each base member, truss beam, upright, and top member may have a fixed length, a fixed size, or a fixed geometry. To make a support system less bulky during transport, conventional solutions may include introducing parts of a non-fixed length, size, or geometry, such as telescoping and / or bending or folding parts. However, parts of non-fixed length, size, or geometry would compromise the strength and durability of the support system since they comprise weak point inclined to break, such as joints and coupled pieces. By having each base member, each truss beam, each upright, and each top member at a fixed length, a more durable support system may be provided.
[0015] In one example, each base member, each truss beam, each upright, and each top member is made of steel and / or aluminum.
[0016] The support system may carry solar panels weighing up to several tons. By having the parts of the support system made completely of steel and / or aluminum, a durable solar panel support system maybe provided which is able to hold the weight of the solar panels.
[0017] In one example, the length of the base posts is between 0.03 to 1 times the length of the uprights, and / or the length of the truss beams is between 0.6 to 12 times the length of the uprights, and / or the length of the top members is between 0.1 to 1 times the length of the uprights.
[0018] In one example, the modular solar panel support system is arranged to form a pergola wherein four base members, four uprights and four top members constitute four legs of the pergola, and four truss beams are arranged to connect the legs to constitute roof beams of the pergola.
[0019] By arranging the support system to form a pergola, there is no need for the support structure to occupy large pieces of the ground surface. Thereby, the space underneath the support structure maybe used for other purposes, such as grassing for animals, assembling green-houses, shelter, parking, and / or other uses. In one example, the modular solar panel support system further comprises at least one pergola extension, each pergola extension comprising an additional set of two base members, two uprights, two top members, and three truss beams, wherein the two base members, two uprights and two top members constitute two additional legs arranged to be added to the pergola and the three truss beams constitute three additional roof beams arranged to be added to the pergola.
[0020] The pergola extension aims to extend the support structure to hold more solar panels. Thereby, the size and / or shape of the support structure may readily be adapted according to need and application. Furthermore, the pergola extension comprises two base members, two uprights, two top members, and three truss beams, which is less than the parts included in a pergola. Thereby, the support system may be expanded using less material as compared to assembling a completely new pergola.
[0021] In one example, each pergola extension comprises an additional platform suspended from the pergola extension, each additional platform carrying an additional set of solar panels.
[0022] As explained in the above example, the pergola extension comprises less parts as compared to the pergola. Thereby, an already existing support system maybe expanded upon installing more solar panels.
[0023] In one example, the base plate further comprises base plate holes, each base plate hole being arranged to receive a fastening object for fastening the base plate to the ground surface.
[0024] By this feature, the base member may be secured to the ground surface. Further, by fastening the base member by a plurality of holes, any twisting of the base member may be prevented.
[0025] In one example, the base plate further comprises a center base plate hole arranged at the location of the base post. The center base plate hole provides a measurement reference point for positioning and aligning the base members. The support system may be assembled by positioning, aligning and securing a set of fastening objects vertically in the ground surface and attaching the center base plate holes thereon. By this feature, the locations at which the base members are to be positioned and attached are easily measured and set out, each base member may be easily arranged at a suitable distance to one another as compared to aligning the fastening objects relative to a e.g., a peripheral base plate hole where the base members would risk misalignment by twisting.
[0026] The top members have a length between i m and 2 m, the truss beams have a length between 6 and 24 m, the uprights have a length between 2 and 10 m, the base posts have a length between 0.3 m and 2m, and the base plates have an area between 0.25 m2and 2 m2.
[0027] In one example, the modular solar panel support system further comprises at least one diagonal member, each diagonal member being arranged to extend between and connect an end portion of a first truss beams to an adjacent end portion of a second truss beam.
[0028] The diagonal member connects two truss beams and may be connected to a point on each truss beams, the point may preferably be located not more than 2 meters from a top member. The diagonal member may be parallel with the ground surface and arranged at 45 degrees relative to the first truss beam and second truss beam. The diagonal member restricts sideways movement of the support system, thereby providing additional stability to the support system.
[0029] In one example, the fastening arrangement of each top member comprises four fastening plates arranged on the top member, each fastening plate being arranged to have an end portion of a truss beam secured thereon, each fastening plate spans a plane having a first direction extending parallel with the longitudinal direction of the top member and a second direction transverse to said longitudinal direction, and wherein the second direction of each fastening plate is arranged orthogonal to the second directions of two neighboring fastening plates.
[0030] By having the fastening arrangement comprising four fastening plates arranged on the top member according to the above example, there may be provided a top member with four “wings” protruding in four distinct and mutually orthogonal directions. Consequently, a top member may have up to four truss beams secured on each fastening plate such that each truss beam may point in one of the four mutually orthogonal directions. Hence, upon expanding the support system, a lattice structure may be formed by the truss beams whereby the support system may be easily expanded in any direction.
[0031] In one example, each fastening plate has a thickness, and each connecting arrangement comprises two parallel plates arranged at a distance essentially equal to or larger than the thickness, the parallel plates being configured to have a fastening plate inserted between them, wherein each fastening plate and each parallel plate comprises at least one hole for receiving a fastening object, and wherein the holes of the two parallel plates and the holes of the fastening plate are arranged to overlap when the fastening plate is inserted between the two parallel plates.
[0032] Each parallel plate maybe formed as a two-eared bracket made of stainless steel arranged to receive the fastening plate. Each fastening plate may have a set of equally spaced holes extending along the first direction parallel with the longitudinal direction of the top member. By this feature, the end portions of a truss beam may be secured to the top member at any height along said first direction. Consequently, any misalignments of the legs which may arise due to an uneven ground surface may be compensated by securing the connecting arrangement to a hole of the fastening plate at a suitable height.
[0033] At a further example, the modular solar panel support system forms part of a solar panel arrangement which further comprises at least one platform arranged to be suspended from the solar panel support system, wherein each platform carries a plurality of solar panel platforms. In one such example, each platform is arranged to be suspended from the modular solar panel support system by means of a first and a second wire arrangement.
[0034] By having each platform suspended by a first and second wire arrangement, any desired height and / or angle of the platform may be achieved by adjusting the length of the wires. Additionally, the wire arrangements allow for easy hoisting and lowering of the solar panels when setting up the solar panel plant and at maintenance of the panels. The wire arrangements also provide a quick, easy, and secure means for securing the solar panels at excessive wind loads, simply by lowering the panels to the ground level. Furthermore, when the platform is suspended from the support system, the platform will experience wind and other conditions exerting forces on it. Since the first and second wire arrangement comprises wires that are bendable, there will be some lateral movement of the platform upon the wind inciting the platform to move. By allowing some amount of lateral movement of the platform, the forces exerted on the platform by the wind will not be transferred to the support system whereby the stability of the support system may be increased.
[0035] According to a second aspect, there is provided a solar panel suspension arrangement comprising: a support system comprising a plurality of elongate legs, each leg extending from a ground surface to a jointing point, and a frame comprising at least two mutually parallel truss beams, each truss beam being arranged to extend between and to be fixed to the jointing points of a first and a second leg in a respective pair of legs from the plurality of elongate legs; a platform carrying a plurality of solar panels, and a first and a second wire arrangement for suspending the platform from the support system. Each wire arrangement comprises a wire arranged to extend from the first leg of the respective pair of legs, via a first pulley fixed to the frame, a second pulley fixed to the platform, a third pulley fixed to the platform at a distance from the second pulley, a fourth pulley fixed to the frame at a distance from the first pulley, and to the second leg of the respective pair of legs. The jointing points are points on the structure where the frame is connected to the legs by suitable connection means. The frame maybe a discontinuous structure where the disruptions occur at the jointing points. This may include the example in which the truss beams are connected to an intermediate assembly part at each jointing point, where the intermediate assembly part may be a part of the leg. The frame may be a continuous structure where the truss beams are connected directly to each other by suitable connection means. This may include the example where in which each jointing point comprises the frame being placed on top of and connected to a part of the leg.
[0036] By having the solar panel suspension system comprising a first and a second wire arrangement for suspending the platform from the support system, any desired height and / or angle of the platform maybe achieved by adjusting the length of the wires. Additionally, the wire arrangements allow for easy hoisting and lowering of the solar panels when setting up the solar panel plant and at maintenance of the panels. The wire arrangements also provide a quick, easy, and secure means for securing the solar panels at excessive wind loads, simply by lowering the panels to the ground level. Furthermore, the platform may thus be suspended from four fixation points located on the truss beams by the first and second wire arrangement. When suspended from the support system, the platform will experience wind and other conditions exerting forces on it. Since the first and second wire arrangement comprises wires that are bendable, there will be some lateral movement of the platform upon the wind inciting the platform to move. By allowing some amount of lateral movement of the platform, the forces exerted on the platform by the wind will not be transferred to the support system whereby the stability of the support system is increased.
[0037] In one example, each wire arrangement further comprises a fifth pulley fixed to the jointing point of the first leg of the respective pair of legs, and a sixth pulley fixed the jointing point of the second leg of the respective pair of leg, whereby the wire is arranged to extend from the first leg, via the fifth pulley, the first pulley, the second pulley, the third pulley, the fourth pulley, the sixth pulley, and to the second leg of the respective pair of legs. In one example, the support system comprises a first, a second, a third, and a fourth leg, and the frame comprises a first and second mutually parallel truss beam and a third and fourth mutually parallel truss beam, wherein the first truss beam is arranged to extend between the jointing point of the first leg and the jointing point of the second leg, the second truss beam is arranged to extend between the jointing point of the third leg and the jointing point of the fourth leg, the third truss beam is arranged to extend between the jointing point of the first leg and the jointing point of the third leg, and the fourth truss beam is arranged to extend between the jointing point of the second leg and the jointing point of the fourth leg, whereby the first, second, third, and fourth truss beams and four legs form a pergola.
[0038] By having the support system forming a pergola, there is no need for the support structure to occupy large pieces of the ground surface. Thereby, platform may be suspended from a pergola such that the space underneath the support structure may be used for other purposes, such as grassing for animals, green-houses, shelter, parking, or other uses.
[0039] In one example, the frame further comprises a plurality of diagonal members, each diagonal member extending between and connecting adjacent end portions of two adjacent truss beams, and wherein the first and fourth pulleys of at least one of the first and second wire arrangements is fixed to a respective diagonal member.
[0040] The diagonal member connects two truss beams and may be connected to a point on each truss beams, the point being located not more than 2 meters from a top member. The diagonal member may be parallel with the ground surface and arranged at 45 degrees relative to the first truss beam and second truss beam. The diagonal member restricts sideways movement of the support system, thereby providing additional stability to the support system. By fixing the first and fourth pulleys to a respective diagonal member, the wire may be arranged at a distance from the truss beam. Consequently, any rubbing between the wire and truss beam may be avoided. In one example, the first and fourth pulleys of each wire arrangement are fixed to a diagonal member.
[0041] In one example, each leg further comprises a tubular top member comprising a fastening arrangement, and each truss beam further comprises a connecting arrangement at each end portion for securing the respective end portion of the truss beam to the fastening arrangement of a respective top member, and wherein each jointing point comprises one tubular top member and at least one a connecting arrangement.
[0042] Each jointing point of the above example comprises one top member of a leg and at least one a connecting arrangement of a truss beam. A top member may have up to four truss beams secured thereon such that each truss beam may point in one of the four mutually orthogonal directions, whereby the support system may be easily expanded in any direction.
[0043] In one example, for each wire arrangement, the fifth pulley is fixed to a fastening arrangement of the first leg of the respective pair of legs, and the sixth pulley is fixed to a fastening arrangement of the second leg of the respective pair of legs.
[0044] In one example, each fastening arrangement further comprises at least one hole, and each of the fifth and sixth pulley for each wire arrangement further comprises a hole and may be fixed to the fastening arrangement by a shackle connecting the pulley to the fastening arrangement by looping through the hole of the pulley and the hole of the fastening arrangement.
[0045] By attaching the pulley by a shackle, the wire maybe easily detached from the support system for maintenance and / or repair.
[0046] In one example, each of the first, second, third, and fourth pulley for each wire arrangement further comprises a hole and is fixed to the support system or platform by a shackle and a bracket, the bracket being secured to the support system or platform and comprises at least one hole, wherein the shackle is connecting the pulley to the bracket by looping through the hole of the pulley and the hole of the bracket.
[0047] In one example, the support system further comprises at least one pergola extension comprising two additional legs and the three truss beams arranged to be added to the pergola, wherein for each pergola extension there may be an additional platform carrying an additional set of solar panels and two additional wire arrangements, wherein the additional platform is arranged to be suspended from the pergola and the pergola extension by means of the two additional wire arrangements.
[0048] The pergola extension aims to extend the support structure to hold more solar panels. Thereby, a consumer may choose any suitable size and / or shape of the support structure. Furthermore, the pergola extension comprises two legs, and three truss beams, which is less than the parts included in a pergola. Thereby, the support system may be expanded using less material as compared to assembling a completely new pergola.
[0049] In one example, each wire arrangement comprises fixation means for the fixation of respective portions of the wire to the first and second legs, the corresponding fixation means for each wire arrangement is arranged to allow a change of the active length of the respective wire arrangement by pulling and / or releasing the wire, thereby changing the height and / or angle of which the platform is suspended from the support system.
[0050] By fixating the respective portions of each wire to the first and second legs, the wires maybe easily accessed from the ground level. By allowing a change of the active length of the respective wire arrangement by pulling and / or releasing the wire, any desired height and / or angle of the platform maybe achieved. The angle of the platform maybe adjusted for better sun exposure, and the height may be set to e.g., allow animals or vehicles to be accommodated underneath the platform while at the same being able to take down the platform to access the solar panels for repair and / or maintenance. In one example, the fixation means comprises at least one winch, the winch operating by a motor and / or by hand.
[0051] In one example, each platform comprises a support frame containing a set of transverse and longitudinal beams forming a beam grid, wherein the set of transverse and longitudinal beams is arranged to carry the plurality of solar panels and the support frame is arranged to have the second pulley and third pulley attached thereto.
[0052] The beam grid structure constitutes a surface for receiving the solar panels, which maybe any suitable type of solar panels. The support frame provides structural support for the beam grid as well as a surface for attaching the second pulley and third pulley.
[0053] In one example, the wire is at least io m long.
[0054] In one example, each wire is made of steel.
[0055] The platform may span an area in-between 36 m2and 55 m2, and may carry solar panels weighing up to several tons. By having the wires made of steel, a durable solar panel support system able to hold the weight of the solar panels may be provided.
[0056] According to a third aspect, there is provided a set of legs arranged to be included in a solar panel support system, each leg comprising an elongate upright comprising a first tubular end portion exhibiting a longitudinal direction and an end surface of the upright, and a base member arranged to be supported by a ground surface, which base member comprises a base plate and a base post extending in an orthogonal direction from the surface of the base plate to a free end, the base post having a first outer circumference smaller than a first inner circumference of the tubular end portion, such that the base post may be received in the tubular end portion of the upright when the base post and the upright are coaxially aligned, wherein the tubular end portion exhibits a cut-out which extends from the end surface and which defines a pivot having a pivotal axis which is perpendicular to said longitudinal direction, and wherein the cut-out is arranged to allow insertion of the free end into the tubular end portion in a direction which is essentially perpendicular to said longitudinal direction and to pivot the upright about the pivotal axis relative to base post for coaxial alignment of the tubular end portion and the base post.
[0057] By having each leg comprising an elongate upright and a base member, a set of legs to be included in the solar panel support system is provided which is comprised by easily assembled parts, allowing for easy transport and installment. Furthermore, by having the tubular end portion exhibiting a cutout, the upright may be pivoted about the pivotal axis while being fixated by the cut out pushing against the base post. By this feature, the legs may be easily erected and assembled by simply pivoting the upright about the pivotal axis.
[0058] In one example, the base post and the tubular end portion have corresponding rectangular, preferably square cross sections.
[0059] In one example, the cut-out is formed in one of four mutually perpendicularly extending planar wall segments of the upright.
[0060] By having the cut-out formed in one of four mutually perpendicularly extending planar wall segments of the upright, the upright may be pivotally fixated to the free end of the base post by the remaining three planar walls during the whole pivoting procedure.
[0061] In one example, a rectilinear edge of the cut-out defines the pivotal axis.
[0062] In one example, the shape of the cut-out is essentially equal to a cross sectional dimension of the base post.
[0063] In one example, a top portion of the base post tapers toward the free end.
[0064] By having the top portion of the base post tapering toward the free end, a planar wall segment of the upright may easily move over and go free from the free end of the base post upon pivoting the upright. In one example, the tapering angle is 30 - 60 °, preferably approx. 45 °.
[0065] In one example, the cross section of the base post is rectangular, e.g. square and the tapering angle is formed between two mutually opposing exterior surfaces of the base post.
[0066] The free end of the base post may be inserted into the upright such that the tapering surface is faces away from the pivotal axis.
[0067] In one example, the tapering of the top portion extends over the complete cross sectional dimension of the top part of the base post.
[0068] By this feature, the tapering may be formed by making a single angled cut over the base post.
[0069] In one example, the set of legs further comprise a wire arranged to be fixed to a leg for pivotal erection of the leg by pulling said wire.
[0070] By attaching a wire to the leg at a distance from the cut-out, the upright may be pivoted by applying force to any point along the leg. Thereby, a greater leverage is provided when pulling the wire to pivot the upright.
[0071] In one example, the set of legs further comprise a pulley which is fixed to the leg at a distance from the cut-out for the fixation of said wire.
[0072] In one example, each leg comprises a tubular top member, each top member having a second inner circumference larger than a second outer circumference of a second end portion of the upright, whereby the second end portion of the upright is arranged to be inserted into the top member.
[0073] In one example, the top member further comprises a fastening arrangement and wherein the wire is fixed to the fastening arrangement.
[0074] By this feature, each leg is provided with means to be secured to the support system and means to secure the wire to the leg. In one example, the set of legs may comprise at least two pairs of legs, each leg from the two pairs of legs being connected to another leg from the two pairs of legs by a frame comprising at least two mutually parallel truss beams, each truss beam being arranged to extend between and to be fixed to the top member of a first and a second leg in a respective pair of legs from the plurality of elongate legs.
[0075] The two pairs of legs and the frame may form a support structure arranged to form a pergola. By this feature, the space underneath the support structure may be used for other purposes, such as grassing for animals, assembling green-houses, shelter, parking, and / or other uses.
[0076] In one example, the set of legs and the frame are arranged to have a platform carrying a plurality of solar panels suspended therefrom, each platform being suspended by means of a first and a second wire arrangement.
[0077] By this feature, any desired height and / or angle of the platform maybe achieved by adjusting the length of the wires. Additionally, the wires allow for easy hoisting and lowering of the solar panels when setting up the solar panel plant and at maintenance of the panels. The wire arrangements also provide a quick, easy, and secure means for securing the solar panels at excessive wind loads, simply by lowering the panels to the ground level. Furthermore, the platform may thus be suspended from four fixation points located on the truss beams by the first and second wire arrangement. When suspended from the support system, the platform will experience wind and other conditions exerting forces on it. Since the first and second wire arrangement comprises wires that are bendable, there will be some lateral movement of the platform upon the wind inciting the platform to move. By allowing some amount of lateral movement of the platform, the forces exerted on the platform by the wind will not be transferred to the support system whereby the stability of the support system may be increased.
[0078] In one example, each base member, each upright, and each top member has a fixed size. Each base member, upright, and top member may have a fixed length, a fixed size, or a fixed geometry. To make a support system less bulky during transport, conventional solutions may include introducing parts of a nonfixed length, size, or geometry, such as telescoping and / or bending parts. However, parts of non-fixed length, size, or geometry would compromise the strength and durability of the support system since they comprise weak point inclined to break, such as joints and coupled pieces. By having each base member, each upright, and each top member at a fixed length, a more durable support system is provided.
[0079] In one example, each base member, each upright, and each top member is made of steel and / or aluminum.
[0080] The set of legs may be included in a solar panel support system carrying solar panels weighing up to several tons. By having each base member, each upright, and each top member made completely of steel and / or aluminum, a durable solar panel support system may be provided which is able to hold the weight of the solar panels.
[0081] According to a fourth aspect, there is provided a method of erecting a leg of a set of legs arranged to be included in a solar panel support system, which method comprises the steps of: providing an elongate upright comprising a first tubular end portion exhibiting a longitudinal direction and an end surface of the upright, which tubular end portion exhibits a cut-out which extends from the end surface and which defines a pivot having a pivotal axis which is perpendicular to said longitudinal direction, placing a base member supported by a ground surface, which base member comprises a base plate and a base post extending in an orthogonal direction from the base plate to a free end, the base post having a first outer circumference smaller than a first inner circumference of the tubular end portion, orienting the upright essentially in parallel with the base plate, inserting the free end of the base post into the cut-out, pivoting the upright about the pivotal axis relative to the base post until the upright is coaxial with the base post, and displacing the upright longitudinally until essentially the entire length of the base post is received in the tubular end portion.
[0082] In one example, the method further comprises the step of attaching a wire to the leg at a distance from the cut-out, and wherein the step of pivoting the upright about the pivotal axis comprises pulling said wire.
[0083] By attaching a wire to the leg at a distance from the cut-out, the upright may be pivoted by applying force to any point along the leg. Thereby, a greater leverage is provided when pulling the wire to pivot the upright.
[0084] Further objects and advantages appear from the following description of examples and from the appended claims.
[0085] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0086] The specific embodiments of the inventive concept will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0087] Figure la is an exploded perspective view of a first embodiment of the modular solar panel support system according to the first aspect of the disclosure;
[0088] Figure ib shows a constructional detail in enlarged scale of the solar panel support system shown in fig. la;
[0089] Figure ic is a perspective view in enlarged scale of a base member forming part of the solar panel support system shown in fig. la;
[0090] Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of a second embodiment of the modular solar panel support system according to the first aspect of the disclosure;
[0091] Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an embodiment of a solar panel suspension arrangement according to the second aspect of the disclosure; Figure 4 is a perspective view in enlarged scale of a pulley attached to the support system or platform according to the second aspect of the disclosure;
[0092] Figure 5 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a jointing point according to the second aspect of the disclosure;
[0093] Figure 6 is a perspective view of a leg according to a third aspect of the disclosure; and
[0094] Figure 7 is a schematic perspective view illustrating the pivoting of a leg according to the third aspect of the disclosure.
[0095] DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0096] The inventive concept will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplifying embodiments are shown.
[0097] Fig. la shows a modular solar panel support system 10 comprising four base members no, four uprights 120, four top members 130, four truss beams 140, and four diagonal members 150 to form a pergola 100, wherein the four base members 110, four uprights 120 and four top members 130 constitute four legs i6oa-d of the pergola 100, and the four truss beams i4oa-d are arranged to connect the legs i6oa-d to constitute roof beams of the pergola 100. The four truss beams i4oa-d and the four diagonal members 150 together form a frame 170 from which a platform 300 maybe suspended. As will be explained more in detail below with reference to figs. 3-5, the platform 300 is suspended by means of a first 400a and a second 400b wire arrangement and carries a plurality of solar panels 310. The frame 170 is connected to the legs i6oa-b by suitable connection means at a jointing point 500 of the pergola 100.
[0098] Each base member no, upright 120, top member 130, truss beam 140, and diagonal member 150 has a fixed size and may be made out of a strong material, such as aluminum or steel but also certain types of plastics, carbon fiber, other metals, etc. The top members 130 have a length between 1 m and 2 m, the truss beams 140 have a length between 6 and 24 m, the uprights 120 have a length between 2 and 10 m, the base posts 114 have a length between 0.3 m and 2m, and the base plates 112 have an area between 0.25 m2and 2 m2. The parts may be arranged to have relative proportions wherein the length of the base posts 114 is between 0.03 to 1 times the length of the uprights 120, and / or the length of the truss beams 140 is between 0.6 to 12 times the length of the uprights 120, and / or the length of the top members 130 is between 0.1 to 1 times the length of the uprights 120.
[0099] Fig. ic shows a base member no comprises a base plate 112 and a base post 114 extending in an orthogonal direction relative to the surface of the base plate 112. The base plate 112 maybe a flat plate supporting the base post 114 in a direction orthogonal to the ground surface when placed on the ground, whereby the base member 110 is supported by the ground surface. Each base post 114 has a first outer circumference 116. The base post 114 may be tubular or solid. With further reference to fig. 6, the base plate 112 may comprise a center base plate hole 119 arranged at the location of the base post 114. The center base plate hole 119 may be used as a measurement reference point for positioning and aligning the base members no. In one embodiment, attaching the set of base members 110 to the ground surface comprises determining the locations at which a set of fastening objects are to be fixed or secured, fixing the set of fastening objects in the ground surface at said locations, and attaching the set of base members no to the fastening objects by the center base plate holes 119. Determining the locations at which the set of fastening objects are to be fixed may be done by means of a measuring template of a predetermined size or by utilizing optical, mechanical or other means for measuring and setting out distances and angles. The base plate 112 may comprise a set of peripheral base plate holes 118, each peripheral base plate hole 118 may be arranged to receive at least one fastening object for fastening the base plate 112 to the ground surface. The fastening object may be chosen depending on the material of the ground surface, and maybe e.g. a rebar, screw, staple or pin. Again with reference to fig. la and ic, the uprights 120 maybe elongate and supported longitudinally by the ground surface via a respective base member no. Each upright 120 comprises a first tubular end portion 122 having a first inner circumference 126 and a second end portion 124 having a second outer circumference 128. The base post 114 and upright 120 may have a cross section of any suitable shape, such as rectangular, circular, or square with or without tapered sides.
[0100] The first inner circumference 126 of the upright 120 is larger than the first outer circumference 116 of the base post 114 by a small amount such that the base post 114 maybe tightly fitted into the first tubular end portion 122 of the upright 120. Thereby, the upright 120 maybe upheld in a longitudinal direction by the base post 114. The proportions between the first inner circumference 126 of the upright 120 and the first outer circumference of the base post 114 maybe such that the base post 114 is easily inserted into the upright 120, without allowing any excessive movement or wiggling of the upright 120 due to superfluous space between the first inner circumference 126 of the upright 120 and the first outer circumference of the base post 114.
[0101] With further reference to fig. ib, the top members 130 may have a second inner circumference 138 larger than the second outer circumference 128 of the second end portion 124 of the upright 120 and comprises a fastening arrangement 132.
[0102] The fastening arrangement 132 is comprised of four fastening plates 134 arranged on the top member 130, each fastening plate being arranged to have an end portion of a truss beam 140 secured thereon. Each fastening plate 134 spans a plane having a first direction extending parallel with the longitudinal direction of the top member 130 and a second direction transverse to said longitudinal direction, wherein the second direction of each fastening plate 134 is arranged orthogonal to the second directions of two neighboring fastening plates 134. Fig. lb show a jointing point 500 at which a top member 130 of a leg 160a from the plurality of elongate legs i6oa-b is connected to two truss beams 140a, 140c. The jointing point 500 has the top member 130 of a leg 160a and two truss beams 140a, 140c extending therefrom. As seen in fig. ib, the fastening plates 134 form four “wings” on the outer surface of the top member 130, the fastening plates 134 protruding in four distinct and mutually orthogonal directions. The fastening plates 134 may have the same height as the top member 130. The fastening plates 134 includes a column of holes 136 evenly spaced along the first direction.
[0103] The second inner circumference 138 of the top member 130 is larger than the second outer circumference 128 of the second end portion 124 by a small amount such that the second end portion 124 may be tightly fitted into the tubular top member 120, in a similar way as the base post 114 is fitted into the first tubular end portion 122 of the upright 120. Consequently, the proportions between the second inner circumference 138 of the top member 130 and the second outer circumference 128 of the second end portion 124 may be such that the second end portion 124 is easily inserted into the top member 130, without allowing any excessive movement or wiggling of the top member 130 due to superfluous space between the second inner circumference 138 and the second outer circumference 128. The upper end of the tubular top member 130 is provided with means for preventing the top member from sliding down along the upright 120. Such means may comprise e.g. a roof (not shown) closing the upper end or a stop member (not shown), such as a bolt extending transversely through the upper end of the top member
[0104] Again with reference to fig. la, by inserting the base post 114 into the first tubular end portion 122 of the upright 120, and further inserting the second end portion 124 of the upright 120 into a top member 130, a leg of the pergola 100 may be formed.
[0105] Each truss beam 140 are formed by two rails 146 with a length corresponding to the width of the pergola, the two rails 146 being connected by beam posts 148 such that the truss beam 140 is formed a set of triangular units. Each truss beam 140 has two end portions 141 secured to a top member 130 of two different legs i6oa-d, whereby the truss beam 140 connects two legs i6oa-d of the support system 10. A pergola 100 thus comprises two pairs of legs i6oa-d and a first 140a, a second 140b, a third 140c and a fourth i4od truss beam. The first truss beam 140a is arranged to extend between and connect the first pair of legs 160a, 160b, the second truss beam 140b is arranged to extend between and connect the second pair of legs 160c, i6od, the third truss beam is arranged to extend between and connect a first leg 160a from the first pairs of legs 160a, 160b to a first leg 160c from the second pairs of legs 160c, i6od and the fourth truss beam 140c is arranged to extend between and connect a second leg 160b from the first pairs of legs 160a, 160b to a second leg i6od from the second pairs of legs 160c, i6od. Since each of the truss beams 140 and legs 160 are of a fixed size the pergola will also have a fixed height and fixed width.
[0106] With reference to fig. ib, each end portion 141 of the truss beams 140 comprise a connecting arrangement 142 for securing the respective end portion 141 of the truss beam 140 to the fastening arrangement 132 of a respective top member 130.
[0107] The connecting arrangement 142 may consist of at least one two-ear bracket comprising two parallel plates 144 arranged at a distance. The parallel plates 144 may have a pair of evenly spaced holes 136. The set of parallel plates 144 maybe secured to the end portion 141 of the truss beam 140. The distance between the parallel plates 144 is larger than the thickness of the fastening plates 134, whereby the fastening plate 134 may be easily inserted between the parallel plates 144 without allowing any excessive movement or wiggling of the fastening plate 134. Upon inserting the fastening plate 134 between parallel plates 144, the holes 136 of the parallel plates 144 and fastening plate 132 will overlap. The overlap may allow the insertion of a fastening object, such as a screw or pin, into the overlapping holes 136, whereby the truss beam 140 will be connected to the top member 130. Fig. ib further shows the diagonal member 150 having one end connected to a rail 146 of a first truss beam 140a, and another end connected to a rail 146 of a second truss beam 140c, the diagonal member 150 being arranged at 45 degrees to the first truss beam 140a and second truss beam 140c respectively.
[0108] Fig. 2 shows a pergola 100 and a pergola extension 200 according to a second embodiment of the first aspect of the disclosure. The pergola extension 200 comprises an additional set of two base members no, two uprights 120, two top members 130, and three truss beams i4oe-f, wherein two base members 110, two uprights 120, and two top members 130 constitute two additional legs i6oe-f to be added to the pergola 100 and the three truss beams i4oe-f constitute three additional roof beams to be added to the pergola 100.
[0109] The pergola extension 200 aims to extend an already existing pergola 100. In fig. 2, two truss beams 140c, 140g of the pergola extension 200 are connected to two legs 160a, 160c of the pergola 100, but the two truss beams 140c, 140g of the pergola extension 200 could in a similar way be connected to any pair of legs i6oa-d of the pergola 100 connected by a truss beam i4oa-d. Any number of pergola extensions 200 maybe added to the support system 10, whereby the truss beams 140 form a lattice structure.
[0110] For each pergola extension 200, an additional platform (not shown) maybe suspended from the pergola extension 200 by means of two additional wire arrangements (not shown), each additional platform carrying an additional set of solar panels (not shown).
[0111] Fig. 3 illustrates a solar panel suspension arrangement 20 according to the second aspect of the disclosure. The solar panel suspension arrangement 20 comprises a support system 10 comprising two pairs of elongate legs 160a- b,i6oc-d arranged to be supported by a ground surface and two pairs of mutually parallel truss beams i4oa-d, i4oc-d, each truss beam i4oa-d being arranged to extend between and connect the top parts of two different legs i6oa-d. The support system 10 may preferably be a support system 10 according with the first embodiment shown in fig la, in which case the legs i6oa-d are formed by inserting the base post 114 of the base member no into the first tubular end portion 122 of the upright 120, and further inserting the second end portion 124 of the upright 120 into a top member 130, and wherein each end of each truss beams i4oa-d may be secured to a top member 130 of two different legs i6oa-d.
[0112] The solar panel suspension arrangement 20 further comprises a platform 300 carrying a plurality of solar panels 310 wherein each platform comprises a support frame 320 with a set of transverse 330 and longitudinal (not shown) beams forming a beam grid, wherein the set of transverse 330 and longitudinal beams is arranged to carry the plurality of solar panels 310. The platform 300 may have a square shape with four sides of equal length, but is not limited thereto and may have other shapes such as round or rectangular. The solar panels 310 may be arranged in a row on the longitudinal beams.
[0113] The platform 300 is arranged to be suspended from the support system 10 by means of a first 400a and a second wire arrangement 400b, each wire arrangement 4ooa-b comprising a wire 4ioa-b made from a durable material such as steel. Each wire 4ioa-b is arranged to extend from a first leg 160a, 160c from the pair of legs i6oa-b, i6oc-d, via a first pulley 42oa-b fixed to a first truss beam 140a, 140b, a second pulley 43oa-b fixed to the support frame 320 of the platform 300, a third pulley 44oa-b fixed to the support frame 320 of the platform 300, at a distance from the second pulley 43oa-b and a fourth pulley 450a-b fixed to the first truss beam 140a, 140b at a distance from the first pulley 42oa-b, to a second leg 160b, i6od from a pair of legs i6oa-b, i6oc-d which is connected to the first leg 160a, 160c by means of the first truss beam i4oa-b. The distance between the third pulley 44oa-b and the second pulley 43oa-b maybe approximately 3 / 5 of the total length of a side of the support frame 320.
[0114] In this way, the first 420a and fourth pulleys 450a of the first wire arrangement 400a are fixed to a first truss beam 140a which is essentially in parallel to a first truss beam 140b of the second wire arrangement 400b and the first 420b and fourth pulleys 450b of the second wire arrangement 400b are fixed to a second truss beam 140b extending essentially in parallel to the first truss beam 140a of the first wire arrangement 400a, whereby the first and second wire arrangements 4ooa-b have a platform 300 suspended from two opposite sides.
[0115] The support system 10 and the wire arrangements 4ooa-b of the solar panel suspension arrangement 20 may be modular, such that the support system 10 maybe disassembled in parts and the wire arrangements 4ooa-b maybe detached from the support system 10. The first and second wire 4ioa-b may be in-between 10 and 20 m.
[0116] Each wire arrangement 4ooa-b comprises fixation means (not shown) for the fixation of respective portions of the wire to the first 160a, 160c and second 160b, i6od legs. The fixation means may be a winch comprising a drum for collecting the wire ends and a crank for pulling and / or releasing the wire, thereby adjusting the length of the wire. The crank may be operating electrically by a motor and / or manually by hand. The fixation means allows a change of length of the respective wire arrangement 4ooa-b by pulling and / or releasing the wire 4ioa-b. The angle of the platform 300 maybe adjusted by pulling and / or releasing one of the first or second wires 4ioa-b while keeping the other wire 4ioa-b fixed, and the height of the platform 300 maybe adjusted by pulling and / or releasing both wires 4ioa-b.
[0117] Fig. 4 is a perspective view in enlarged scale of a pulley 30 attached to the solar panel suspension arrangement 20 according to the second aspect of the disclosure.
[0118] The pulley 30 is arranged to receive a wire 410 and may comprise a hole 32 for receiving a shackle 40. The shackle 40 may comprise a U-shaped body 42 and a pin 44 for sealing off the body 42. The pin 44 may further comprise a pin head 46 for supporting and securing the pin 44 to the body 42. The bracket 50 may be L-shaped and have two holes 52 orthogonal to each other. The shackle 40 may loop through the hole 32 of the pulley 30 and the hole 52 of the bracket 50 and thereby connect the pulley 30 to the bracket 50. The bracket 50 is secured to the solar panel suspension arrangement 20, which maybe the platform 300 or the support system 10. Thus, the pulley 30 may be the first pulley 42oa-b, fourth pulley 450a-b, fifth pulley 46oa-b, or sixth pulley 470a-b attached to the support system 10, or the second pulley 43oa-b or third pulley 44oa-b, attached to the platform 300.
[0119] Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a second embodiment of a jointing point 500 according to the second aspect of the disclosure.
[0120] The jointing point 500 has the top member 130 of a leg 160a from the plurality of elongate legs i6oa-b and two truss beams 140a, 140c extending therefrom. The jointing point 500 may comprise a fifth or sixth pulley 460a, 470a, such that the wire 400a is arranged to extend via the fifth or sixth pulley 460a, 470a fixed to the jointing point 500 to the first or fourth pulley 420a, 450a.
[0121] The fastening arrangement 132 of the top member 130 comprises a set of holes 133 for attaching the fifth or sixth pulley 460a, 470a thereon. The holes 133 may preferably be located at the lower ends of respective fastening plates 134.
[0122] Fig. 5 also illustrates that the first or fourth pulley 420a, 450a, instead of being fixed to a truss beam (as illustrated in fig. 3) maybe fixed to a diagonal member 150 connecting the adjacent end portions of two truss beams 140a, 140c.
[0123] The pulleys 420a, 450a, 460a, 470a maybe attached to the diagonal member 150 and the top member 130 by means of a respective shackle 40 in correspondence with what is described above with reference to fig. 4.
[0124] Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a leg 160 according to a third aspect of the disclosure.
[0125] The leg 160 is arranged to be included in a solar panel support system 10 in correspondence with the first aspect described above with reference to fig. 1. The leg 160 may thus be a leg 160a from a pairs of legs i6oa-b, i6oc-d connected to a frame 170, thereby forming a pergola 100 or pergola extension 200 arranged to have a platform 300 carrying a plurality of solar panels 310 suspended therefrom by means of a first and a second wire arrangement 4ooa-b.
[0126] The leg 160 may comprise an elongate upright 120 and a base member no comprising a base plate 112 and base post 114 as described in detail above in relation to fig. ic. The leg 160 may be formed by inserting the base post 114 of the base member 110 into the first tubular end portion 122 of the upright 120 and aligning the base post 114 coaxially with the upright 120.
[0127] The first tubular end portion 122 of the upright 120 may comprise an end surface 121 which maybe the rim of the first tubular end portion 122. The first tubular end portion 122 exhibits a longitudinal direction 115 along the upright 120. The tubular end portion 122 exhibits a cut-out 123 which extends from the end surface 121 and which defines a pivot having a pivotal axis 127 which is perpendicular to said longitudinal direction 115. The pivotal axis 127 of the cut-out 123 is defined by a rectilinear edge farthest from the end surface 121. The cut-out 123 maybe formed in one of four mutually perpendicularly extending planar wall segments of the upright 120 and may essentially be equal to a cross sectional dimension of the base post 114.
[0128] The base post 114 may extends in an orthogonal direction from the base plate 112 to a free end 111. The top portion of the base post 114 may taper to the free end 111 such that a tapering angle is formed. The tapering angle maybe 30 - 60 °, or preferably approx. 45°. In the shown embodiment, the tapering angle is formed between two mutually opposing surfaces of the base post 114. One of these surfaces is a first vertical planar surface which at the pivotal movement contacts the cut-out’s edge defining the pivotal axis 127. The other surface is a slanting planar surface 113 forming angled extension of the vertical exterior surface being opposed to said first vertical surface. The slanting surface 113 may extend over the complete cross sectional dimension of the top part of the base post 114. The cut-out 123 is arranged to allow insertion of the free end 11 of the base post 114 into the tubular end portion 122 of the upright 120. The free end 111 may be inserted in a direction which is essentially perpendicular to said longitudinal direction 115. The upright 120 may then be pivoted about the pivotal axis 127 relative to base post 114 for coaxial alignment of the tubular end portion 122 and the base post 114.
[0129] Figure 7 is a schematic perspective view illustrating the pivoting of the leg 160 according to the third aspect of the disclosure. The leg 160 may comprise a tubular top member 130 comprising a fastening arrangement 132 and an upright 120 inserted therein as described above in relation to figs. ib. The top member 130 may have a pulley 30 fixed thereto as described above in relation to fig. 5. The pulley 30 may be fixed at a distance from the cut-out 123, the distance essentially corresponding to the length of the upright 120.
[0130] The leg 160 further comprise a wire 410 fixed to the leg by the pulley 30. The wire 410 may pivotally erect the leg by pulling said wire 410. The pivoting is performed by: providing an upright 120 and base member no as described above in relation to fig. 6, orienting the upright 120 essentially in parallel with the base plate 112, inserting the free end 111 of the base post 114 into the cut-out 123, pivoting the upright 120 about the pivotal axis 127 relative to the base post 114 until the upright 120 is coaxial with the base post 114 by pulling the wire 410, and displacing the upright 120 longitudinally until essentially the entire length of the base post 114 is received in the tubular end portion 122. For avoiding excessive horizontal forces on the base member no and the means for fixing the base member 110 to the ground during the initial pivoting from the essentially horizontal orientation of the leg 160, it maybe preferable first to pivot the leg 160 by lifting the free end of the leg 160 rather than by pulling the wire 410. Once the leg 130 has been pivoted passed a certain angle, such as for example 30 °, relative to the horizontal plane, the remaining pivoting of the leg 160 to the vertical orientation maybe completed by pulling the wire 410. The inventive concept has mainly been described above with reference to a few examples. However, as is readily appreciated by a person skilled in the art, other embodiments than the ones disclosed above are equally possible within the scope of the inventive concept, as defined by the appended claims.
Claims
CLAIMS1. A modular solar panel support system (io) comprising:- at least two base members (no) arranged to be supported by a ground surface, wherein each base member (no) comprises a base plate (112) and a base post (114) extending in an orthogonal direction relative to the surface of the base plate (112), each base post (114) having a first outer circumference (116);- at least two elongate uprights (120), each upright (120) comprising a first tubular end portion (122) having a first inner circumference (126) and a second end portion (124) having a second outer circumference (128), wherein the first inner circumference (126) is larger than the first outer circumference (116);- at least two tubular top members (130), each top member (130) having a second inner circumference (138) larger than the second outer circumference (128), and wherein an outer surface of each top member (130) comprises a fastening arrangement (132); and- at least one truss beam (140) having two end portions, each end portion comprising a connecting arrangement (142) for securing the respective end portion of the truss beam (140) to the fastening arrangement (132) of a respective top member (130), wherein each base post (114) is arranged to be inserted into the first tubular end portion (122) of a respective upright (120), and wherein the second end portion (124) of each upright (120) is arranged to be inserted into a respective top member (130).
2. The modular solar panel support system (10) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein each base member (no), each truss beam (140), each upright (120), and each top member (130) has a fixed length.
3. The modular solar panel support system (10) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein each base member (no), each truss beam (140), each upright (120), and each top member (130) is made of steel and / or aluminium.
4. The modular solar panel support system (io) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the length of the base posts (114) is between 0.03 to 1 times the length of the uprights (120), and / or the length of the truss beams (140) is between 0.6 to 12 times the length of the uprights (120), and / or the length of the top members (130) is between 0.1 to 1 times the length of the uprights (120).
5. The modular solar panel support system (10) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the modular solar panel support system (10) is arranged to form a pergola (100) wherein four base members (110), four uprights (120) and four top members (130) constitute four legs (i6oa-d) of the pergola (100), and four truss beams (i4oa-d) are arranged to connect the legs (i6oa-d) to constitute roof beams of the pergola (100).
6. The modular solar panel support system (10) according to claim 5, further comprising at least one pergola extension (200), each pergola extension (200) comprising an additional set of two base members (110), two uprights (120), two top members (130), and three truss beams (i4oe-g), wherein the two base members (110), two uprights (120) and two top members (130) constitute two additional legs (i6oe-f) arranged to be added to the pergola (100) and the three truss beams (140) constitute three additional roof beams (i4oe-g) arranged to be added to the pergola (100).
7. The modular solar panel support system (10) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the base plate (112) further comprises base plate holes (118), each base plate hole (118) being arranged to receive a fastening object for fastening the base plate (112) to the ground surface.
8. The modular solar panel support system (10) according to claim 7, wherein the base plate (112) comprises a center base plate hole (119) arranged at the location of the base post (114).
9. The modular solar panel support system (10) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the top members (130) have a length between 1 m and 2 m, the truss beams (140) have a length between 6 and 24 m, theuprights (120) have a length between 2 m and io m, the base posts (114) have a length between 0.3 m and 2 m, and the base plates have an area between 0.25 m2 and 2 m2.
10. The modular solar panel support system (10) according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising at least one diagonal member (150), each diagonal member (150) being arranged to extend between and connect an end portion of a first truss beam (140) to an adjacent end portion of a second truss beam (140).
11. The modular solar panel support system (10) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the fastening arrangement (132) of each top member (130) comprises four fastening plates (134) arranged on the top member (130), each fastening plate (134) being arranged to have an end portion of a truss beam (140) secured thereon, each fastening plate (134) spans a plane having a first direction extending parallel with the longitudinal direction of the top member (130) and a second direction transverse to said longitudinal direction, and wherein the second direction of each fastening plate (134) is arranged orthogonal to the second directions of two neighbouring fastening plates (134) .
12. The modular solar panel support system (10) according to claim 10, wherein each fastening plate (134) has a thickness, and wherein each connecting arrangement (142) comprises two parallel plates (144) arranged at a distance essentially equal to or larger than the thickness, the parallel plates (144) being configured to have a fastening plate (134) inserted between them, wherein each fastening plate (134) and each parallel plate (144) comprises at least one hole (136) for receiving a fastening object, and wherein the holes (136) of the two parallel plates (144) and the holes of the fastening plate (134) are arranged to overlap when the fastening plate (134) is inserted between the two parallel plates (144).
13. A solar panel arrangement comprising a modular solar panel support system (10) according to any of claims 1-12 and at least one platform (300)arranged to be suspended therefrom, each platform (300) carrying a plurality of solar panels (310).
14. The solar panel arrangement according to claim 13, wherein each platform (300) is arranged to be suspended from the modular solar panel support system (10) by means of a first (400a) and a second (400b) wire arrangement.