Filling in gaps between ground mounted solar panels to prevent water

[SenileOldGit]

Hi, I have 12kW of ground mounted solar panels, two rows of ten Canadian Solar 595W. I store bags of sand and cement under them, under a tarpaulin, and crates of assorted household 'junk'. When I mounted the panels, I left a 1-2cm gap between them, because I thought it would allow some of the wind to blow through the gaps, and thus would make the panels more secure in high winds. (They are mounted on scaffolding poles which go into ground screws). Since I have watched them remaining rock solid in even the highest winds, I no longer worry about them needing the gaps - but I want to stop rainwater from falling onto the things I have stored underneath the panels. I don't want to manually move all of the panels so that they are touching each other (and even that might not stop all the water from coming through) - is there anything I can put across the gaps that would stop rainwater, and last a decent length of time? I have thought about Duck tape, but I thought I would ask here in case anybody else has already had to do this, and had found something better for the job.

 

[Supervstech]

Nothing applied will stop the rain from getting through.
I recommend hanging metal or plastic roofing under the panels if you want a good shed roof.

 

[740GLE]

I recommend a tarp covering all panels as the sure fire way to prevent any water getting past them

 

[JRH]

I recommend a tarp covering all panels as the sure fire way to prevent any water getting past them

That’s a great idea , but what some of the guys here do is build a barn over and around the whole array… no water on the panels , not ever- and a great place to stack hay and feed off the ground.

 

[740GLE]

That’s a great idea , but what some of the guys here do is build a barn over and around the whole array… no water on the panels , not ever- and a great place to stack hay and feed off the ground.

I like it and a place to put your chickens and horses!!

 

[sunshine_eggo]

Gutter channels under the gaps.

 

[Hedges]

If you moved them closer, there are gaskets meant for the purpose.
Not that I would trust them completely.

SunModo offers rubber gasket to install between its solar awning panels

SunModo is now offering an easy to install rubber gasket that fits snuggly between your solar panels. The company says eliminating these gaps protects the space below your outdoor living space from sunlight and rain by weather stripping between your PV Modules. If you are installing SunModo’s...

solarbuildermag.com

What we need are PV panels with a frame designed to overlap and serve as roofing tiles.

Most that I see are small specialized panels:

PV panel roofing tile at DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo. Privacy, Simplified.

duckduckgo.com

But a few come close. Still special shapes, not an alternate frame for typical PV laminate:

Solar PV Roof Tiles Installed on Three New Build Homes

Redland solar PV roof tiles were used for these new build homes in Shirehampton. Integrated with the roof, they look fantastic.

www.ecocetera.com

 

[JRH]

I like it and a place to put your chickens and horses!!

Don’t forget sheep…..Sheep love indoor panels …

 

[OzSolar]

Google "extruded gasket" and you'll see a lot of options but as has been mentioned you're likely only going to slow it down.