Ground Mount Help

[Deleted member 783]

Did you get the bolts and t-slot nuts from Zoro, too? Can you link to the ones you have if you did? I found a bunch of t-slot nuts there, but not one matching your pict. And, I like the bolts you're using, with both hand tightening and allen wrench, which should be good for tight spots.

Nope, I found them at my local hardware store. I took the extrusion in there so I could match it perfectly. Even my small town hardware store had a good selection of them. You could also use normal nuts, just look for "low profile" ones.

 

[Santa]

Too many people thought I was Will, despite my title being "NOT THAT WILL". It's not fair to him; people thinking my posts were his. It makes him look really dumb

...But are you really lost? ;-)

 

[Steve_S]

Here is a couple of more links showing different options from ballasted mounts and such,
Ground Mount Foundations, Low Cost Ground Mounts, & more here: http://www.ottawavalleypv.ca/resources.html in particular check out the Pictorial of Various mounting types.

 

[erik.calco]

Here is a couple of more links showing different options from ballasted mounts and such,
Ground Mount Foundations, Low Cost Ground Mounts, & more here: http://www.ottawavalleypv.ca/resources.html in particular check out the Pictorial of Various mounting types.

WOW! That is a sweet ass single pole mount!!! You'd still have the whole yard available! Not sure neighbors would be happy.

 

[Steve_S]

WOW! That is a sweet ass single pole mount!!! You'd still have the whole yard available! Not sure neighbors would be happy.

There are many of those big tracker mounts on farms around here... one fellow in particular went in deep and has 25 of them with 20 panels per and they are high enough that the tractor & equipment can keep working the land too. The advantage of being out of Urbania ! There are also Solar & Wind powered Dairy Farms (they use massive power for the coolers, pumps etc) as well as a couple of solar powered Saw Mills (small ones but nevertheless with tracking ground mounts it works), one fellow even took the biggest WoodMizer mill he could get and converted it to electric so he would never have to deal with diesel fuel again! A lack of vision for the possibilities is the only limitation people have.

 

[JeepHammer]

Here is a couple of more links showing different options from ballasted mounts and such,
Ground Mount Foundations, Low Cost Ground Mounts, & more here: http://www.ottawavalleypv.ca/resources.html in particular check out the Pictorial of Various mounting types.

That first big pic shows a wind speed indicator to get the panels flat during high winds, a remarkably good idea I did myself.

It's also using an electric jack screw to move the rack, but since the jack screw isn't mounted at an angle it's probably a single plane of motion joint on top the pole (east/west),
Reinforced hinge would be a must on that size of rack and would make a two plane of motion joint HUGE!
That jack screw has to be HUGE the way it is...

That's a BIG rack for a single post mount, I wonder how far the anchor goes down, my guess is 20 feet or more!

 

[erik.calco]

It's March. Time to put up my 320W panels. But, I still don't have a Bill of Materials (BOM) or know what parts to order. I've researched over and over online. It is frustrating. Lots of pictures of mount systems. I can even find parts catalogs. Plenty of sites selling mount systems, but have to call for a quote.

The market is not for DIY. Nothing connecting the dots. I look at half the parts and no clue what they are used for. Don't know the name of any of the parts. So can't figure out how to order everything I need.

I've decided I want to put poles in the ground. I can see from lots of ground mount picture the basics of what I need. I just don't know how to select and order individual parts.

This is overkill for what I need, but gives an idea of the basic construct I need to complete:

Poles in ground with concrete. Another piece of metal at the angle I want the panels. A joist to support it back to the main pole. Rails on that. Panels on the rails. Easy, right?

 

[BigVT]

I'm in the exact same boat so this is a great thread for ideas!

I'm looking to ground mount 6-8 panels, but thinking I'll make it in wood since its easier in terms of availability (and use angle brackets to attach it to the wood). I might just do the design in the above picture in wood though.

The ground where I'm going to mount is in a slope facing west (panels will be facing south though) so I initially thought of something like the image below, with smaller mounts for 2 panels to avoid having to make everything well aligned. I'll only have 1.5 days to set everything up so was planning to go with ready made concrete foundation. Possibly add a joist to support like the image you shared too. Disclaimer: I'm no expert and this is my first project.

 

[garetjax]

I'm thinking of doing this

Adjustable Portable DIY Solar Panel Stand - Affordable Mounting Frames

This is the easiest solar panel stand to use that is very affordable and completely adjustable. It's a lightweight and portable mounting frame.

poweredportablesolar.com

 

[erik.calco]

@BigVT we're on the same page, only I haven't ruled out a metal pole yet. I'm not sure where to procure one large enough.

I, like you, like the idea of doing 2 panels at a time. Makes it simpler to get this online with first 2 panels, and in the end, I can point them in slightly different directions to better utilize the moving sun. 2 panels per pole does not seem unrealistic.

Mine are 320W each, so not small. This does seem to rule out Z brackets and require rails instead. Also means I need a really sturdy mount for wind gusts. A plus is the ability to change their angle seasonally.

 

[MisterSandals]

I haven't ruled out a metal pole yet. I'm not sure where to procure one large enough.

I was able to get a street light pole for the asking. There are quite a few that get hit by cars and end up in a pile. PG&E had a couple in an empty lot behind a Goodwill trailer semi-covered in weeds. I made a phone call and they said help yourself.
I took a sawzall and dragged away a 4' section (10" diameter) with bolt flange for a telescope permanent pier.

Talk about sturdy and weather proof! But it takes a special wire feed welder if you need that.

I see the newly liberated ones all the time laying along the roadways.

 

[erik.calco]

I was able to get a street light pole for the asking. There are quite a few that get hit by cars and end up in a pile. PG&E had a couple in an empty lot behind a Goodwill trailer semi-covered in weeds. I made a phone call and they said help yourself.
I took a sawzall and dragged away a 4' section (10" diameter) with bolt flange for a telescope permanent pier.

Talk about sturdy and weather proof! But it takes a special wire feed welder if you need that.

I see the newly liberated ones all the time laying along the roadways.

LOL that sucker could hold all 6 panels at once. But, another reason I'm opting for smaller pole with only 2 panels each is less visual to neighbors. Shooting for something lower profile.

 

[BigVT]

This does seem to rule out Z brackets and require rails instead

This might be a stupid questions, but is the Z or even L brackets that much weaker if attached properly? I'm also planning for 325w panels.

 

[erik.calco]

This might be a stupid questions, but is the Z or even L brackets that much weaker if attached properly? I'm also planning for 325w panels.

They all say only use with panels up to 150W or something around there. They mention doubling up for higher size, but I can't confirm how that will work or if I can trust it. And if it involves drilling more holes, then rails look more appealing. I just don't want to weaken the structure.

Honestly, my fav setup I saw was this guy that put a big steel flat bar across his. That distributed the load.

But rails grip onto the panel. They don't require the holes in it. It's a stronger sturdier bond because it uses the side of the panels rather than just the holes.

Also, the gravity of the panel pushes into the lower clamp with rails. The top brackets keep it from flying away.

 

[erik.calco]

I've made some progress in collecting info on mounting and have been collecting it here:

https://sites.google.com/view/power-diy/solar/mounting

Basically, I've found some useful videos, and hunted down and linked to Home Depot parts. I'll continue to add more to this page as I go.

There seems to be a huge gap here for DIY'ers building larger systems. Will set a great example with his blueprints. Yet, other DIY'ers building larger systems do not appear to be inspired to follow his lead. On the commercial side, I could not find a Bill of Materials or parts list of any kind on any of the mounting systems. They want you to call them for a quote for installation.

There are lots of good videos, but very few of them put a parts list in their video description like Will does. So, for the videos I included on this page, I had to hunt down the parts on Home Depot and link them. I plan to go to Home Depot today to buy some of these parts.

I'll continue to do build out this web page this way. Hopefully, in the end, it will have all the info and links one needs to build whatever it is I end up building.

 

[erik.calco]

Made some progress. I got the smaller profile 14 gauge Superstruts. Wanted the big ones, but because these will ultimately be suspended in the air, I chose less weight for now. Can always upgrade later.

Started with 3/8" hex bolts. But, discovered that they won't fit through the holes in the 320W panel. Even if I drilled new holes, the washers were too wide as well. So, got 1/4" hex bolts and swapped the Superstrut 3/8" cone nuts for the 1/4". Then discovered that with the smaller profile Superstrut rail, the 1" long bolt is too long. In the end, the 3/4" x 1/4" hex bolts work. Now I can get the panels on the Superstruts. Note that the 1" long bolts would work fine with the larger profile 12 gauge Superstruts. You can probably even go longer.

I have not tried to add anything such as lock washers or an extra bolt at the end. I'm not sure they'll be critical as this is primarily to get the panels on the rack. The stability and security will come from the side clamping where I'll have more freedom to add things to longer bolts. I'll probably use foil tape to keep the smaller bolts from coming loose. But, I've find that stuff to be insanely durable outdoors. I won't say how I know, because people shake their head when I explain how it has held up for over 10 years in a heavy water location.

I'm saving the 3/8" bolts for clamping the sides of the panels. This is where most of the security and stability should come from.

Honestly, I think there is a high probability I'll upgrade to the bigger struts. I just don't want to add the weight until I'm sure how I'll mount this. For now, this buys me time to work that out and enough stability to leave it outdoors while I complete this project.

 

[erik.calco]

I'm close to completing the design for the mount. I'm doing 2 x 320w panels for each mount. Currently, I have two panels together with 2 horizontal Superstruts acting as rails. That has worked well, so far, and is propped up in my backyard.

I plan to add a vertical superstrut for each panel going down its middle to support the rails, each one bolted to the two horizontal struts the panels are currently on as tracks. Then, I'll connect the tops of the vertical struts with another piece of strut. At the bottom of the vertical struts, I'll put an angle to support the bottoms of the panels, though they don't really need it, per se, as they aren't going to slide off the struts. It will just primarily help when the bottom is on a platform to not put pressure on the panels themselves.

Next I plan to put 1 metal fence post in the ground for each pair of panels. The primary purpose is to provide stability, anchoring and an option for angle adjustment. I'll attach the top strut piece to it. I'll also be able to adjust angle by lifting the lower portion of the panels with support. I plan to put a pallet on the ground for the lower support and to not have to mow or weed under the panels. Either the lower portion of the panels can touch it, or i can lift it with further supports off the pallet. Note that the pallet itself is not part of the primary structure. Though, I mind bind the lower supports to it to prevent panel lift in high winds. The primary support is still the metal fence post.

The question is how can I attach a horizontal Superstrut to the pole so that (a) I can adjust the height where it binds to the post, (b) the strut is always at an angle to the pole because it is flat with the panels and (c) I can have some sort of hinge allowing me to raise/lower the lower part of the panels to adjust angle and for other reasons?

 

[Steve_S]

Could use Marine Dock Hinges ?

I used these when I built my Rack because initially I wanted to be able to adjust the angle, but with 2x6@24oc framing and 8 panels, I would need mechanical / hydraulic help to move them , geez it's heavy ! But these hinges are the bomb ! There are a couple of design types which are serious duty for Marine Use and can handle lot & not rust.

 

[erik.calco]

Here's how the Superstruts and angle come together. It is the center of the horizontal Superstrut at the top I need to mount to a round metal pole.

 

[erik.calco]

Mounted panels to the 6' pole I put in the ground (4' above). I used 2 U-bolts to put a piece of Superstrut I cut on the side of the pole, then used another U-Bolt to bind the panel horizontal strut to the pole strut. This is primarily for tilt. Most of the weight is on bottom ends of the vertical struts where I'll be bolting 2x4s and resting on the pallet. There is one vertical strut under the center of each panel.

This is a proof of concept in that nothing is final. I just improve until I'm happy. I have lots of ways I'll improve stability and thinking about ways to make tilting easier. For now, tilt is decided by how high I bolt to the pole, and how high I raise the bottom.

The important thing is it is cheap and built with parts you can buy at Home Depot. I do plan to put a BOM in a spreadsheet one day and share. For now, I'm improving parts.