diy solar

diy solar

Cheapest ground mounting solution?

sparque

New Member
Joined
Mar 31, 2022
Messages
22
I'm sure I'm not the first person to do this and maybe I'm dead wrong and wasted a ton of money and resources but here's what I did for my 4kw array.

I started with these mounts and attached them to treated 4x4s with timber screws which are anchored to the ground with 2.5 foot 1/2 inch rebar. All together it came out to around 80 dollars per panel. Coulda probably saved a bit more if I had bought angle aluminum to cut and drill myself but metal cutting is a pain and they came with all the hardware so I took the easy path. Once secured to the 4x4s they are remarkably solid. We had a storm a couple days ago with 25mph gusts and they remained firm. My only complaint from doing it this way is dealing with irregularities on the ground. I had to use shims under some to deal with the gradient. I guess if I was a perfectionist I'd prepare the earth and level it but eh, I'm no Mozart, or even a Saliari. Anyway thought I'd share for anyone working on a shoestring looking for inspiration.


mount.jpgpanels.jpg
 
If you have invested so much money in the s panels. You would want the supports to be strong and stable. You should use pressured treated lumber if it is touching the ground or raise it up. Based on what were shown on the pictures. If wind blow from underside the pane, it may tilt over if the anchorage is not strong enough. The weakest part in the framing system is at the middle between two ground support where a single panel was divided into two parts. The horizontal alum frame may just bent there. If the wind is strong enough, you panels may break/crack along the vertical white lines. Consider add another support in between.
 
Uplift is the most common occurrence on any panel installation. I cannot tell from the picture what measures were taken to prevent the panels from blowing away other than the rebar. Better uplift protection would be screw anchors depending on soil conditions. If soil is not firm even some ballast could provide some protection. A 25 mph wind is a good start. The real test will be wind blowing from the backside. As suggested above the diagonal brace would have more leverage if it went to the top of the panel instead of the middle of the angle bar brace running parallel to the panel..
 
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