Racking System for Commercial Solar Arrays

Current solar panel racking systems are multicomponent and require pre-ordering, transporting, inventorying, and labor-intensive deployment. There is an opportunity for automation, especially in the case of flat-roof commercial installations, which would decrease costs. The proposed automated racking system produces the rack from raw material, on-demand and on-site during the automated installation process. The innovation is a single component rack, significantly simpler than current state-of-the art racking systems. It is fast and easy to install. There are three Phase I technical objectives. First, make a detailed design of the automated racking system including its geometry and material composition. Second, perform wind tunnel pressure tests that evaluate the effects of the wind deflector, unique geometry, and ballast required to secure the solar array to the rooftop. Third, prototype the racking system, verify its functionality, and verify the expected savings for commercial solar arrays.