Low-Profile Solar Panel Racking for Wind Uplift Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for an improved structural support apparatus for photovoltaic module solar energy generation systems on greenfield land sites that can resist wind uplift forces while allowing ambient water inflow and reducing installation labor and material costs.
Innovation Solution
A racking system comprising elongate rails, ground supports, and a friction strip with projecting members that secure photovoltaic modules to a ground barrier sheet using earth anchors at the ends and frictional engagement at intermediate points, allowing for low-profile, densely spaced panel arrays.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If earth anchors are used to secure the racking system, then wind uplift resistance is improved, but installation labor and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The racking system is divided into multiple segments with rails supported at intermediate points by friction engagement with the ground barrier sheet, rather than requiring continuous anchor support. This segmentation allows ground supports to be spaced apart, reducing the total number of anchors needed while maintaining structural integrity and wind uplift resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
A ground barrier sheet serves as an intermediary element between the ground and the racking system. The friction strip with projecting members engages with this barrier sheet to provide intermediate support, eliminating the need for direct ground penetration anchors at every support point and significantly reducing installation labor.
2Strength
If tufted geotextile sheets are used for friction engagement, then wind uplift resistance is improved, but system cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using expensive tufted geotextile sheets across the entire system, the invention uses a simple ground barrier sheet with localized friction engagement points through the friction strip and projecting members. This provides sufficient wind uplift resistance at critical locations without the need for expensive geotextile material throughout.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces expensive, durable geotextile materials with a simpler, more economical ground barrier sheet combined with a friction strip system. This substitution achieves the necessary functional performance at lower material cost, making the system economically viable for greenfield installations.
3Use of energy by moving object
If photovoltaic modules are spaced apart at high-profile angles, then energy generation efficiency is improved, but wind uplift resistance decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention adds vertical dimension to the support system by using a low-profile configuration with intermediate ground supports that provide upward friction engagement. This allows modules to be positioned for optimal energy generation while the ground barrier sheet friction strip system provides counteracting force against wind uplift from below.
Solution Approach 2:
The ground barrier sheet acts as an intermediary that provides both vegetation control and friction-based anchoring. The friction strip with projecting members engages this barrier to create resistance against wind uplift forces, allowing the photovoltaic modules to maintain their energy-optimized positioning without compromising structural stability.
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 system effectively resists wind uplift forces, reduces material and labor costs, and allows for efficient energy generation by closely spacing panels, while accommodating ambient water inflow and vegetation control.
Implementation Method 1
a friction strip having a plurality of projecting members extending from a bottom surface and the friction strip attached on an upper surface to a bottom surface of the elongate rail, whereby the ground supports being engaged by the ground engaging members to the ground and the projecting members being frictionally engaged to the surface below the friction strip cooperatively restrict the racking system from movement relative to the surface and resist shear wind uplift forces
Data Source
AI summary
A solar energy racking system for a plurality of solar panels for generation of electrical energy comprising a pair of opposing elongated rails for disposing in spaced-apart relation on a surface and secured thereto with a pair of anchors for each elongated rail, said anchors for connecting to the surface and to respective opposing portions of the elongated rail; and a solar photovoltaic module for securing to the pair of rails with a plurality of clips. A plurality of solar panels mount to the rails in a dense-space array having a Slow-profile relative to the surface. Optionally an intermediate engaging member attached to the rails intermediate the anchors further secures the rails to the surface.