Grounding clips and tabs for mounting components to solar modules
View Patent ↗This disclosure generally relates to integrated grounding for solar modules and electrical wire management, and more specifically, to grounding clips and tabs that are integrated into solar module racking systems.
1. A solar module assembly comprising:
a solar module comprising:
a solar panel; and
a frame coupled to the solar panel;
a grounding clip comprising:
a u-shaped body attached to the frame of the solar module, the u-shaped body including a first segment and a second segment spaced apart from the first segment, the first segment and second segment connected by a third segment;
a nut coupled to the first segment such that the nut is not rotatable with respect to the first segment; and
a washer coupled to the nut, the washer positioned between the first segment and the second segment; and
a rail coupled to the frame of the solar module to support the solar module, the rail including a tab integrally formed on a surface of the rail and defined by a cutout extending through the surface of the rail, the tab sized and shaped to support and position at least one electrical wire, the tab including a deformation location coupled to the rail.
2. The solar module assembly of claim 1 , wherein an aperture extends through the first segment, the second segment, the washer, the rail, and the nut.
3. The solar module assembly of claim 2 further comprising a fastener configured to engage the nut when the fastener extends through the aperture.
4. The solar module assembly of claim 1 further comprising an electrical grounding wire connected to one of the grounding clip and a conductive portion of the rail to facilitate electrically grounding the rail.
5. The solar module assembly of claim 4 , wherein the electrical grounding wire is also connected to an electrically grounded rack support such that the electrical grounding wire provides a ground path between the frame and the electrically grounded rack support.
6. The solar module assembly of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the at least one electrical wire is supported by the tab.
7. The solar module assembly of claim 1 , wherein the washer includes a plurality of surface penetrating features configured to pierce a non-conductive portion of the frame to create electrical contact between the washer and the solar module frame.
8. The solar module assembly of claim 1 , wherein the second segment includes at least one locking finger configured to contact the frame to facilitate retaining the grounding clip on the module frame.
9. The solar module assembly of claim 1 , wherein the tab is moveable between a first position substantially parallel with the surface of the rail and a second position at which at least a portion of the tab extends away from the surface of the rail.
10. The solar module assembly of claim 9 , wherein the tab is substantially coplanar with the surface of the rail in the first position.
11. The solar module assembly of claim 1 , wherein the tab is moveable by bending the tab relative to the rail at the deformation location.
12. The solar module assembly of claim 1 , wherein the cutout is U-shaped.
13. The solar module assembly of claim 1 , wherein a nut-shaped aperture extends through the first segment of the u-shaped body and at least a portion of the nut extends into the nut-shaped aperture to couple the nut to the first segment such that the nut is not rotatable with respect to the first segment.
14. The solar module assembly of claim 13 , wherein the washer coupled to the nut is larger than the nut-shaped aperture to prevent the nut from being completely removed from the nut-shaped aperture in a first direction.