Rotatable Solar Panel Frame for Wind-Stable Relocatable Mounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional solar panel devices face structural stability issues due to dynamic wind loads, torsional galloping, and heavy snow and ice loads, and are difficult to transfer from one location to another due to heavy-duty foundations, leading to economic losses and limited flexibility in installation and leasing.
Innovation Solution
A solar panel device with a support structure and frame that is rotatably coupled via attachment means along a rotational axis, allowing the frame to adjust angles relative to the ground surface to balance external forces and facilitate easy transfer, featuring a connecting member that aligns the frame with the support structure to optimize solar energy harvesting while withstanding various loads.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If heavy-duty foundations are used to resist wind loads and ensure structural stability, then the reliability and strength of the solar panel device are improved, but the ease of transferability and relocation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The solar panel device is divided into separable components: a support structure, a frame assembly, and foundation elements. The frame assembly can be detached from the foundation and repositioned, enabling relocation while maintaining structural integrity during operation. This segmentation allows the system to achieve both stability during use and flexibility for relocation.
Solution Approach 2:
The support structure incorporates dynamic elements such as adjustable legs or telescopic supports that can be extended or retracted. This dynamic capability allows the structure to adapt to different ground conditions and facilitates easier relocation by reducing the height or footprint of the installation, thereby resolving the contradiction between structural stability and transferability.
2Strength
If a rigid frame structure is used to withstand snow and ice loads, then the strength and reliability are improved, but the device complexity and installation cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of making the entire frame structure uniformly rigid and complex, the invention applies reinforcement only at critical locations where snow and ice loads are most severe. This localized strengthening maintains the necessary load-bearing capacity while significantly reducing overall structural complexity and installation cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The support structure is designed to provide more than sufficient strength at key load-bearing points, allowing the use of simpler materials and construction methods in non-critical areas. This partial over-engineering at strategic locations ensures adequate strength while keeping the overall system simple and cost-effective.
3Reliability
If ground-mount installation with underground foundations is used, then the structural stability is improved, but the ease of manufacture and installation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the foundation element from the ground-mount configuration and replaces it with surface-mounted support structures such as weighted bases or ground-level anchors. This eliminates the need for underground construction, simplifying both manufacturing and installation processes while maintaining adequate structural stability through proper design of the surface-mounted supports.
4Manufacturing precision
If fixed-angle solar panel installation is used, then the manufacturing precision and structural simplicity are improved, but the productivity and energy harvesting efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The solar panel frame assembly incorporates adjustable mechanisms that allow the panel angle to be changed relative to the support structure. This dynamic adjustment capability enables optimization of energy harvesting efficiency for different times of day, seasons, or weather conditions, while the adjustment mechanism is designed to be simple and precise, maintaining manufacturing feasibility.
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 enhances structural stability, allows for easy relocation of solar panel devices, reduces the risk of damage from wind and torsional galloping, and creates new business models by enabling transferability and reducing installation costs, thereby improving the economic viability of solar power plants.
Implementation Method 1
The solar panels use photovoltaic (PV) cells to convert the solar energy into electricity using photovoltaic effect
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a solar panel device with a support structure and a frame(s) configured to enclose solar panel(s). The frame is rotatably coupled to the support structure and a connecting member. A load is coupled to the support structure and frame using the connecting member. A first end of the connecting member is fastened to the frame on the first attachment point. An intermediate portion of the connecting member is connected to the support structure on second attachment point. The second end of the connecting member has the load attached thereto. The connecting member moves between the frame and the support structure for enabling the load to align the frame at given angle with the ground surface on which the support structure is arranged.