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How do I mount these panels to my garage roof?

bpaddock

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Oct 9, 2021
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I bought a crate of the panels seen here:


What else to I need to get to mount them to my shingled garage roof?

I live in Northwest PA and can't find any installer around here that doesn't want to sell me a $30,000 or more Grid Tied System, which is not what I want.
So I'm on my own to get these panels installed. What else do I need? Panel level safety shutoffs or anything else?

My Day Job is designing Embedded Systems. I'm not all that concerned about the electronic aspects of things, more about the mechanical and safety.

It is not really clear from the above link what voltage these are, any ideas?
I'll get out a meter and find out at some point.

Depending on the voltage I want to put up two strings of four to six panels.
One string on each side of the garage.

The inverter I have order only takes one input.
Does anyone make off-the-shelf Ideal Diodes for this application at what may be 400V?

 
Depending on the voltage I want to put up two strings of four to six panels.
According to the label that Tim provided 4 modules in series puts you at 564 Voc. Those modules and most if not all residential GT inverters are limited to 600v.

After adjusting for cold temperatures you might even be limited to 3 in series to stay under 600V. You'll need to find the temperature coefficient specs for that module and do the calculations to know for sure.

Module level power electronics are designed to work with standard 60 cell or 72 cell modules with far lower voltages so that's going to be another challenge.

Frameless modules are normally for highly customized BIPV (building integrated PV) systems and trying to mount them on anything other than what they were designed for is challenging to do successfully and safely.

Frameless thin film modules can be hard to work with. Sorry I don't have better news for you.

Good luck.
 
Last edited:
Thank you. So three in series.
That puts you at 423 VOC. (Before cold weather correction) you will have to check the specs of the SCC, you plan to use.

As far as diodes go.
They are available in mc4 inline models. You can find them on Ebay and Amazon.
Just make sure that they are good quality.
I'm very impressed with the quality of Slocable products.
 
According to the label that Tim provided 4 modules in series puts you at 564 Voc. Those modules and most if not all residential GT inverters are limited to 600v.

After adjusting for cold temperatures you might even be limited to 3 in series to stay under 600V. You'll need to find the temperature coefficient specs for that module and do the calculations to know for sure.

Module level power electronics are designed to work with standard 60 cell or 72 cell modules with far lower voltages so that's going to be another challenge.

Frameless modules are normally for highly customized BIPV (building integrated PV) systems and trying to mount them on anything other than what they were designed for is challenging to do successfully and safely.

Thin film modules are can very hard to work with. Sorry I don't have better news for you.

Good luck.
Thank you.

If I aim to stay under 450V I should be able to do four strings of three. One set in each quadrant of the roof.
So it sounds if I'll need some kind of backing to use these. I'll also pay more attention to things like goggles while handling.

So assuming I can make them thicker, for handling and mounting, my original question remains. What do I need to mount, really any solar panel, to my shingled roof?
 
Is this a detached garage? There are several rules to follow for attached garage, including rapid shutdown, walkways for firemen access, etc…
Be sure you get a layout plan approved by a building inspector prior to mounting anything.
 
So assuming I can make them thicker, for handling and mounting, my original question remains. What do I need to mount, really any solar panel, to my shingled roof?
IronRidge has tons of great training resources. The below link will take you through the "typical" process quickly and far better than I could try to explain it.

 
Is this a detached garage? There are several rules to follow for attached garage, including rapid shutdown, walkways for firemen access, etc…
Be sure you get a layout plan approved by a building inspector prior to mounting anything.
It is a separate garage, in a country setting.

Point me in a direction for rapid shutdown equipment, please.
 
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