Ground mounted PV frame

[PaulD]

Hey guys, I’ve got 72 panels currently on plastic tubs (planning, not a permanent structure) … but now looking to mount on galvanised steel frame. Any recommendations for cost effective and decent quality supplier or manufacturer. Thanks. 

[SteamyTea]

Is there a problem with the way the are currently mounted and used?

[ProDave]

I used Unistrut to build the frame for mine.  FAR cheaper than any of the aluminium PV mounting rails.  Some have used scaffold poles or similar.

[Bramco]

We used key clamp poles and joints. Simply whacked two lines of metre long poles into the ground, then built the frame from there, with a couple of bits for fastening other material to the poles - round clamp with a tail with a hole in it - between each pair of panels. Standard PV module clamps, can then be fixed through the holes.

 

I found a commercial product on-line and simply used their plan.

 

Great thing about this method, is you can set the angle of the panels to suit your needs. We set ours at 45deg which pvgis showed would give us about the same annual kW as a shallower angle but would give peak output in the spring and autumn and higher output in the winter. So output spread more over the year, rather than peaking in the summer.  When the sun was shining yesterday we were getting 4.5kW from our 6.5kWp array.

Edited Sunday at 11:55 by Bramco

[Beau]

I looked at extending our PV with the Cornish Rocker system. I realised how little was to be gained from the tilting but key clamp seemed to be the way to go for fixed or tilting. Our old ground mount is just on a treated wooden frame

[PaulD]

4 hours ago, SteamyTea said:

Is there a problem with the way the are currently mounted and used?

30 degree not really optimal In winter … yes of course I could change angle of the tubs but looking for nicer solution. 

[Dillsue]

The 10 panels we have on the ground are on a 2x1" roof batten frame sat on 9" hollow concrete blocks half buried in the ground end on. Strategically placed strips of damp course keep any rain off the timber where it comes through the gaps between panels. It's bone dry and on its 3rd winter so seems to be holding up.