Mounting for solar panels

The present invention relates to a mounting for solar panels which can be used on roofs etc.

Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) is a rapidly growing industry worldwide (about 25% growth annually). BIPV involves solar modules mounted on buildings and the DC electricity generated fed to the national grid through DC/AC inverters.

Many existing systems require structural changes to the roof or penetration of the roof which can lead to leaks and can be difficult to install involving building work.

It is known to mount photovoltaic (PV) modules in mountings for attachment to roofs. U.S. Pat. No. 6,570,084 discloses PV assemblies which can be fixed to roofs. The PV assemblies may be interengaged, such as by interengaging the bases of adjacent PV assemblies. The base may include a main portion and a cover and the bases of adjacent PV assemblies may be interengaged by securing the covers of adjacent bases together. The PV module may be an inclined PV module and the support assembly may be a multi-position support assembly which secures the PV module at shipping and inclined-use angles. However such a structure is difficult to assemble in use on a roof and, although systems are disclosed to reduce the effect of wind on the modules, when they are assembled they are subjected to unacceptable forces and rain, etc. can penetrate between the modules. The interengaging of the modules is accomplished by securing the covers of adjacent bases together thus requiring the fitting of each module to the roof individually so that each module has to be resistant to forces such as wind forces acting on the module.

We have now devised a modular mounting for solar panels which can be interengaged with other mountings which overcomes these difficulties and which by assembling modules together can form an integrated solar array of any size.

According to the invention there is provided a mounting for solar panels which mounting comprises a frame having a recess for receiving solar panels, the frame having a front edge and a rear edge in which the front edge is narrower than the rear edge and the front edge of one frame is adapted to fit beneath and inside the rear edge of another frame and to be attached to the said other frame, the frame having side fixing means so that a plurality of frames can be attached to each other in a side-by-side arrangement and the frame sloping upwards from the front to the back.

Front, back, side and top refer to the frame when the frame is laid on a flat surface with the recess uppermost.

In use a solar panel or solar panels are placed in the recess in the frame so that sunlight can impinge on the solar panels. To cover a larger area a plurality of frames are connected together with the front edge of one frame fitting within and connected to the rear edge of another frame and/or frames being connected side by side. In this way any size of area can be covered with solar panels.

Preferably the frame is made by vacuum forming of a plastics material e.g. a recycled plastic.

The angle of slope of the mounting is preferably 5 to 20 degrees e.g. about 10 degrees and can be achieved by having a wedge shaped side piece attached to each side or under the mounting so the mounting has a wedge shape.

The recess in the top of the mounting preferably is of a size to allow a standard solar panel module to fit into the recess and in one embodiment the top of the solar module is flush with the top surface of the mounting.

In another embodiment there is a gap between the top of the solar panel module and the top of the recess and in order to allow for pressure equalisation e.g. reduced pressure on the upper surface caused by wind passing over the surface, there can be recesses, slots or holes on the upper face of the recess above the solar panel module connecting through the module. These recesses, slots or holes help with ventilation which can reduce the PV cells temperature and hence increase the cells efficiency.

Preferably there is space in the recess to accommodate the solar panel junction box on the underneath of the solar module containing solar panels, with holes for wiring from the junction box to inside the mounting.

The solar panel module can be fixed to the mounting with either rivets or self-tapping screws through the underside of the mounting.

The back of the mounting preferably has an opening and a lip so that the front thinner end of another mounting can be inserted into the opening and fixed in place e.g. by riveting or screwing in place.

This can be done with a number of mountings so that a row of interlocked mountings can be assembled. The design and size of the ends preferably minimises the shading effect of the back end on the solar panel in the next mounting module in the line.

The side fixing means of each frame enables the mountings to be attached to each other. These fixing means can be of a conventional type e.g. with the attachment means on one side being smaller than one the other side allowing them to be interlocked with the fixing means on adjacent mountings. Preferably the fixing means are hollow so that the cables etc. from the solar modules can be fed into each mounting without being seen and out of touch.

The mountings can be attached to each other by any fixing means e.g. by riveting or screwing to each other.

By attaching mountings to each other in columns and rows a completely interlocked solar array can be assembled of any size and there could be many hundreds of interlocked mountings making a complete installation.

In order to allow more secure fixing the front end of the wedge shaped mounting preferably has a flange to allow a covering to be overlapped with the flange so that the front of the flange is firmly held to a surface. This gives final security in case of high winds and ‘traps’ the interlocked array.

In an array preferably the outer mountings of the assembled interlocked array have additional ‘caps’ riveted or screwed through the sides and back thick wedge end to cover the holes and provide a flange for the floor covering to overlap ensuring the array is ‘trapped’ on all sides, thus minimising possible lift of the array due to high winds. There are preferably drainage channels on the base flange of the mounting to allow water to flow from under the mounting.

In use the wires from each solar module in a mounting can be connected to other solar modules to enable the electricity generated to be led a way. The connections can be in parallel and/or series to produce the optimum current and voltage.

When the modules are in position the PV arrays can be inserted into the modules and fixed in the normal way; alternatively the PV arrays can be inserted into the modules before the modules are positioned on the roof or other support structure. This also enables the PV arrays to be transported together with the support structures in compact and stackable configuration saving transport cost and site assembly time.