Flat Tile Solar Panels
An earth mount enabled utility scale solar photovoltaic array having a plurality of solar panels is supported on the ground at edge portions of the solar panels. The panels are interconnected in at least one series-connected string, in which said at least one series-connected string extends along adjacent or closely adjacent solar panels along at least two rows so that the string has a distance between terminal ends of the series connection less than a lengthwise dimension of the solar panels constituting the string.
1 - 58 . (canceled)
59 . A utility-scale photovoltaic plant comprises arrays having PV modules located at a site, wherein a spacing between the modules is smaller than an average spacing between racked panels.
60 . The plant of claim 59 , wherein the utility-scale photovoltaic plant is a plant with a capacity of 1 MW of solar energy.
61 . The plant of claim 60 , wherein at least some of the modules have support regions in which the site surface (the ground) supports the modules.
62 . The plant of claim 61 , wherein
free air is air bounded by an intermediate structure having top and bottom portions and single or adjacent side portions,
the module's photovoltaic substrate comprises a downward face having a non-contact surface and a contact surface,
the contact surface is defined as a portion of the downward face that touches one or more, 1.0 mm or thicker, solid substances other than the ground and other than the photovoltaic substrate,
a contact region is defined as the region between the contact surface and the ground, perpendicular to the contact surface,
and
some parts of the contact region do not contain a region of free air.
63 . The plant of claim 62 , wherein the contact region does not contain free air.
64 . The plant of claim 63 , wherein the plane of the array is parallel to the plane of the earth.
65 . The plant of claim 64 , wherein the modules of an array are flexibly joined in two dimensions.
66 . The plant of claim 65 , wherein the two dimensions correspond to array rows and columns.
67 . The plant of claim 66 , wherein the spacing between modules in an array row is approximately the same as the spacing between modules in an array column.
68 . The plant of claim 67 , wherein the ground includes material naturally present at the site and material added to the site by human activity.
69 . The plant of claim 68 , wherein the retainers electrically bond some module frames to adjacent module frames.
70 . The plant of claim 64 , wherein solar panel trackers or other racking do not sit between the support regions and the ground.
71 . The plant of claim 70 , wherein the spacing between modules causes the plant to use less than 250% of the land area that a similarly sized traditional utility scale solar PV power plant uses.
72 . The plant of claim 71 , wherein the spacing between modules is greater than or equal to 217 mm.
73 . The plant of claim 64 , wherein the modules are joined in two dimensions.
74 . The plant of claim 73 , wherein the two dimensions correspond to array rows and columns.
75 . The plant of claim 74 , wherein the spacing between modules in an array row is approximately the same as the spacing between modules in an array column.
76 . The plant of claim 75 , wherein solar panel trackers or other racking do not sit between the support regions and the ground.
77 . The plant of claim 76 , wherein the spacing between modules causes the plant to use less than 250% of the land area that a similarly sized traditional utility scale solar PV power plant uses.
78 . The plant of claim 77 , wherein the spacing between modules is greater than or equal to 217 mm.
79 . The plant of claim 78 , wherein the spacing between modules is greater than or equal to 17 mm.