Arcuate Solar Canopy Assembly With Minimal-Excavation Support Columns
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing solar canopy structures require significant excavation and concrete footings, leading to inefficient installation, high material usage, and a large carbon footprint, while also being aesthetically and structurally challenging due to complex wing arm formations and fastening mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
A lightweight, arcuate-winged solar canopy assembly with low-incidence, curved wings that collect and direct rainwater to a central trough, supported by minimally embedded columns and composed of high-strength-to-weight materials, featuring a kit for easy assembly and disassembly, and optimized for reduced material and energy consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If conventional solar panels are mounted atop existing roof structures, then power generation is achieved, but roof integrity is compromised and accessibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The solar power generation system is extracted from the roof structure and relocated to a freestanding canopy structure. This separates the solar panels from the roof, eliminating the compromise to roof integrity while maintaining power generation capability. The canopy becomes an independent structure that does not rely on or affect the roof.
Solution Approach 2:
The system is segmented into separate functional components: the solar panels are mounted on the canopy structure rather than being integrated with the roof. This segmentation allows the solar array to be independently positioned and maintained without affecting the roof structure.
2Stability of the object's composition
If major concrete footings are used to support columns, then structural stability is achieved, but excavation work is significant and disruptive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces permanent, heavy concrete footings with smaller, removable concrete blocks that serve as temporary foundations. These blocks provide sufficient stability for the canopy during use but can be easily removed when relocation or maintenance is needed, dramatically reducing excavation requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The foundation parameters are changed from large, deep concrete footings requiring significant excavation to smaller, shallow concrete blocks. This parameter change maintains adequate structural stability while dramatically simplifying installation and reducing disruption to the work site.
3Power
If arcuate-winged canopy structures are designed with complex wing arm formations, then solar collection capability is maximized, but structural complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The complex arcuate wing structure is segmented into standardized modular components including wing arms, truss sections, and connection nodes. Each module can be manufactured independently using standard fabrication processes, reducing overall structural complexity while maintaining the optimized arcuate geometry for solar collection.
Solution Approach 2:
The design parameters of the wing arms are optimized to achieve the desired arcuate shape and solar collection angles while using standard structural sections and connection methods. This allows the complex geometry to be realized through parameter optimization rather than complex manufacturing processes.
4Ease of manufacture
If conventional rooftop solar arrays are designed along a single slope plane, then installation is simplified, but solar collection capability is not maximized in all locales
Solution Approach 1:
The canopy structure incorporates adjustable or variable-geometry wing arms that can be positioned at different angles and orientations. This dynamic capability allows the solar panels to be oriented optimally for different geographic locations and seasonal conditions, maximizing solar collection while maintaining installation simplicity through standardized adjustment mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The dual-inclined arcuate wing design creates asymmetric surfaces that can be configured to face different directions and angles. This asymmetry allows optimization for specific geographic locations and solar paths, enabling maximum solar collection capability tailored to different locales while using standardized structural components.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables efficient solar energy collection and rainwater harvesting with reduced environmental impact, improved structural stability, and aesthetic appeal, while minimizing excavation and material usage, facilitating easier installation and maintenance.
Implementation Method 1
photovoltaic panels mounted atop arcuate, curved canopy arcuate wings
Implementation Method 2
low-incidence, curved wings that collect and direct rainwater to a central trough
Data Source
AI summary
A solar canopy structure mounted in ground to receive solar energy and convert the solar energy to electrical energy. The solar canopy structure has support columns, solar canopies retained in opposition by the support column, photovoltaic material retained by the solar canopies, and a block of material establishing a point of fixation along the body portion of the support column spaced from the first and second ends of the support column. At least approximately one-half of the support column can be embedded in the ground with the block of material fixed to the support column adjacent to the ground surface. The solar canopies can be have decking supported by wing arms that are joined by a central portion to form a unified, continuous wing arm structure, and the central portion can be received in and secured to a channel in the support column by first and second brackets.