Flat Tile Solar Panels - Intervening Structure I
An earth mount-enabled utility-scale solar photovoltaic array has plural rows of solar panels supported on the ground s to establish an earth orientation of the solar panels. Edge portions of the panels rest on a ground support area and provide mechanical support, and an end curb member abuts at least one edge of the arrangement. The panels are interconnected in at least one series-connected string extending in at least two rows so that the string has a total distance between terminal ends of the series connection less than a lengthwise dimension of the solar panels constituting the string, routed to reduce “home run” connections at the end of the string.
1 . A utility-scale photovoltaic array comprising modules wherein some of the modules have a contact region that
rests on the ground
or
rests on a structure such that a region directly under the contact region does not contain free air.
2 . The array of claim 1 , wherein
the contact region rests on the structure at a contact surface,
the contact surface sits above a three-dimensional region between the contact surface and the ground directly beneath the contact surface,
the perimeter of the contact surface defines the vertical walls of the three-dimensional region,
and
the three-dimensional region only contains material from the structure or air from a region of air bordered by the structure on two sides.
3 . The array of claim 2 , wherein the ground includes material naturally present at the site and material added to the site by human activity.
4 . The array of claim 3 , wherein the ground is smoothed or flattened.
5 . The array of claim 4 , wherein smoothed or flattened means smooth or flat enough that the height difference between corners of adjacent modules is small enough that a fully autonomous sweeping robot can sweep from one module onto another.
6 . The array of claim 5 , wherein the ground orients a face of the module and supports the modules.
7 . The array of claim 6 further comprising connectors between modules.
8 . The array of claim 7 , wherein some of the connectors limit vertical module movement.
9 . The array of claim 8 having contiguous modules.
10 . The array of claim 9 having two or more rows of modules.
11 . The array of claim 10 having 400 or more modules.
12 . The array of claim 11 , wherein the connectors join modules at module edges or edge frames.
13 . The array of claim 12 , wherein some of the connectors are between modules in two directions, some of the connectors form joints, and some of the joints are flexible.
14 . The array of claim 13 , wherein some of the connectors join 2-4 modules.
15 . The array of claim 14 , wherein some of the connectors are electrical bonding connecters.
16 . The array of claim 15 , wherein some of the connectors are electrical interconnects, some of the electrical interconnects form a series-connected string, and the string comprises terminal string ends with a distance between the ends of less than a lengthwise module dimension.
17 . The array of claim 16 , wherein the string has a path that starts with a first end, extends along a direction, returns along an opposite direction, and ends with a second end, and the path reduces or eliminates the length of home run connections.
18 . The array of claim 17 , further comprising an inverter with an AC output, wherein
the array has a DC output,
and
the DC: AC ratio is 1.2-1.9, 1.4-1.9, or 1.6-2.2.
19 . The array of claim 18 , wherein the first and second terminal ends exit from the same array side.
20 . A utility-scale PV array comprising modules that have a contact region wherein the contact region rests on a structure at a contact surface, and the structure contains paths with a starting point on the contact surface and an ending point in the structure at ground level directly beneath the starting point for every point in the contact surface.