WO2011002667A1 - Système de montage pour panneau photovoltaïque - Google Patents

Système de montage pour panneau photovoltaïque Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2011002667A1
WO2011002667A1 PCT/US2010/039896 US2010039896W WO2011002667A1 WO 2011002667 A1 WO2011002667 A1 WO 2011002667A1 US 2010039896 W US2010039896 W US 2010039896W WO 2011002667 A1 WO2011002667 A1 WO 2011002667A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
web
panel
mounting system
open volume
flexible
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2010/039896
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Ge Wang
Ronald M. Velichka
Original Assignee
Tremco Incorporated
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Tremco Incorporated filed Critical Tremco Incorporated
Publication of WO2011002667A1 publication Critical patent/WO2011002667A1/fr

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02S—GENERATION OF ELECTRIC POWER BY CONVERSION OF INFRARED RADIATION, VISIBLE LIGHT OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT, e.g. USING PHOTOVOLTAIC [PV] MODULES
    • H02S20/00—Supporting structures for PV modules
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24S—SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS
    • F24S25/00—Arrangement of stationary mountings or supports for solar heat collector modules
    • F24S25/40—Arrangement of stationary mountings or supports for solar heat collector modules using plate-like mounting elements, e.g. profiled or corrugated plates; Plate-like module frames 
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02S—GENERATION OF ELECTRIC POWER BY CONVERSION OF INFRARED RADIATION, VISIBLE LIGHT OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT, e.g. USING PHOTOVOLTAIC [PV] MODULES
    • H02S20/00—Supporting structures for PV modules
    • H02S20/20—Supporting structures directly fixed to an immovable object
    • H02S20/22—Supporting structures directly fixed to an immovable object specially adapted for buildings
    • H02S20/23—Supporting structures directly fixed to an immovable object specially adapted for buildings specially adapted for roof structures
    • H02S20/24—Supporting structures directly fixed to an immovable object specially adapted for buildings specially adapted for roof structures specially adapted for flat roofs
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02S—GENERATION OF ELECTRIC POWER BY CONVERSION OF INFRARED RADIATION, VISIBLE LIGHT OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT, e.g. USING PHOTOVOLTAIC [PV] MODULES
    • H02S30/00—Structural details of PV modules other than those related to light conversion
    • H02S30/20—Collapsible or foldable PV modules
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02B—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS
    • Y02B10/00—Integration of renewable energy sources in buildings
    • Y02B10/10—Photovoltaic [PV]
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02B—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS
    • Y02B10/00—Integration of renewable energy sources in buildings
    • Y02B10/20—Solar thermal
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
    • Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
    • Y02E10/40—Solar thermal energy, e.g. solar towers
    • Y02E10/47—Mountings or tracking
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
    • Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
    • Y02E10/50—Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Definitions

  • a mounting system which typically suspends the panel above the roof by a suitable distance, usually a few inches to a few feet or more.
  • the mounting system desirably mounts the panel at an acute angle with respect to the horizontal, since this allows rain water to wash off dirt and other debris that would otherwise accumulate on the panel and block access to sunlight.
  • Flexible PV panels are less expensive to manufacture than their rigid counterparts, since they are thin and flexible rather than thick, robust, substantial and rigid. Moreover, flexible PV panels are much less expensive to install, since they are typically mounted in direct contact with the roofs they cover, usually with suitable adhesives.
  • flexible PV panels have their own disadvantages. For example a desirable application for flexible PV panels is to supply electricity for air conditioning. Unfortunately, most flexible PV panels are dark in color, usually black, dark blue or dark brown. As a result, they generate significant fugitive heat in addition to electricity when exposed to direct sunlight.
  • this invention provides a process for mounting a PV panel on the roofing surface of a building, the process comprising securing the PV panel to the roofing surface by means of a mounting system comprising at least one flexible open volume web, the open volume web having a pair of generally opposed major faces and lateral edges connecting these major faces, a major portion of the volume of the open volume web being open space freely communicating with the atmosphere surrounding the lateral edges of the web, the mounting system having a thickness which is large enough to reduce conductive heat transfer from the PV panel to roofing surface.
  • this invention also provides a combination comprising a flexible PV panel and an attached mounting system for mounting the PV panel on the roofing surface of a building, the flexible PV panel defining a cross-sectional profile in its length and width dimensions, the mounting system comprising at least one open volume web, a major portion of the volume of the open volume web being open space freely communicating with the atmosphere surrounding the lateral edges of the web, the mounting system having a thickness which is large enough to reduce conductive heat transfer from the PV panel to the roofing surface on which it is or may become mounted, the mounting system defining a cross- sectional area which is at least 50% of the cross-sectional area of the PV panel.
  • FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of one embodiment of this invention in which the inventive mounting system in the form of a fibrous pad is used to mount a flexible PV panel on a roofing surface in accordance with this invention
  • Fig. 2 is a schematic illustration similar to Fig. 1 in which the fibrous pad forming the inventive mounting system has a variable thickness so as to position the flexible PV panel at an acute angle with respect to the horizontal;
  • FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration similar to Fig. 2, Fig. 3 further showing a foam adhesive being used to bond the inventive mounting system to the roofing surface for providing additional resistance to conductive heat flow.
  • FIGs. 4 and 5 illustrate additional embodiments of this invention in which the inventive mounting system is formed from a tangled web of randomly oriented extruded thermoplastic polymer nanofilaments arranged in a system of hills and valleys.
  • the inventive mounting system is intended for use in mounting PV panels to any type of building structure, e.g., side wall, chimney, etc. Normally, however, the inventive mounting system will be used for mounting PV panels to the of the roof of a building, particularly its outermost waterproof layer ("roofing surface). This can be done with any type of building roof such as, for example, conventional pitched roofs carrying conventional roofing materials such as asphalt shingles, metal sheeting and the like.
  • the roof substrate can be made from any type of material such as wood (e.g., woodfiber board, plywood), concrete, metal or plastic, Normally, it is cleaned of dirt and other impurities and/or pretreated by well-known activation techniques for enhancing its surface adhesion properties before the bituminous roofing system is applied.
  • the underlayment of the bituminous roofing system is normally formed by applying a liquid bituminous composition, e.g., molten bitumen or solvent based bitumen adhesive, and then applying a pre-formed bituminous membrane over the bituminous composition.
  • a liquid bituminous composition e.g., molten bitumen or solvent based bitumen adhesive
  • a pre-formed bituminous membrane over the bituminous composition.
  • the pre-formed bituminous membranes used for this purpose are usually composed of a earner such as paper, fiberglass, polyester or felt which is impregnated with bitumen or other similar material.
  • the outermost surface layer is formed by coating the underlayment with a roof paint or covering which forms a relatively thick (i.e. membrane-like) waterproof coating.
  • the outermost surface layer is formed from multiple preformed membranes or sheets (hereinafter “cap-sheets”) which are laid up or arranged in an adjacent, overlapping edge fashion (like shingles in a shingle roof) to cover the entire roof surface to be covered.
  • a layer of bitumen (asphalt) or other adhesive typically applied to one or more lateral edges of each cap-sheet, is used to secure these cap-sheets to one another as well as the underlayment.
  • these cap-sheets are made from a fibrous web or sheet of fiberglass, polyester fiber or both impregnated with bitumen (asphalt) or other suitable adhesive.
  • cap-sheets are also covered with a suitable aggregate during manufacture for adding desired texture and/or color. Because the edges of adjacent cap-sheets are normally adhered atop one another, such aggregate is normally much smaller in size, typically on the order of 1/8 inch ( ⁇ 0.3 cm) in diameter or less.
  • the inventive mounting system can be used to mount PV panels on all of these different types of roofing systems.
  • high solar reflectance roofing systems in particular roofing systems having a solar reflectance of at least 60% as measured by ASTM E1918-97 and ASTM E903- 96 and a thermal emittance of at least 65 as measured by ASTM E-408-71, can also be used.
  • roofing systems having a solar reflectance of at least 60% as measured by ASTM E1918-97 and ASTM E903- 96 and a thermal emittance of at least 65 as measured by ASTM E-408-71, can also be used.
  • Combining such high solar-reflectance roofing systems with the inventive mounting system minimizes absorbance of heat by the building's roof, thereby enabling air conditioners powered by the PV panels carried by these mounting systems to provide maximum cooling effect.
  • the inventive mounting system can be used for mounting any type of PV panel, both flexible and rigid. Most commonly, however, they will be used for mounting flexible PV panels.
  • “flexible” means that the center of a section of the PV panel measuring 12 inches x 12 inches ( ⁇ 30 cm x ⁇ 30 cm) can be displaced in a direction normal to the plane of the section by at least 1/4 inch (-0.6 cm) without destroying the functionality of the panel.
  • PV panels which are flexible enough so that the center of a 12 inch x 12 inch section of the panel can be displaced by at least 1/2, 1, 2, 3, 4 or even 5 inches (at least ⁇ 1.2, ⁇ 2.5, ⁇ 5, ⁇ 8, ⁇ 10 or ⁇ 13 cm) are more interesting.
  • "Rigid” meanwhile means any PV panel which is not flexible.
  • Flexible PV panels are well known in the art. As indicated above, they typically comprise an array of photovoltaic cells embedded in an essentially continuous planar layer of a suitable polymer, the entire assembly being made thin and flexible enough so as to achieve the desired degree of flexibility. They are described, for example, in the following publications, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference: U.S. 6,310,281, U.S. 7,323,635, U.S. 7,351,907, WO 2008/051997 and WO/2008/074224. They are available from a wide variety of different sources including Xunlight Corporation of Toledo, Ohio, United Solar Ovonic LLC, a division of Energy Conversion Devices of Rochester Hills, Minnesota, and AItE Corporation of Hudson, Massachusetts.
  • Flexible PV panels are those which are "reliable,” i.e., that can be rolled up upon themselves without destroying their functionality. Flexible PV panels which can be rolled up upon themselves into rolls having internal diameters of 3 feet ( ⁇ 91 cm), 2 feet ( ⁇ 61 cm), 1 foot ( ⁇ 30 cm), and even less are especially interesting.
  • Flexible PV panels are available in a wide variety of different sizes, both in terms of physical size as well as power output. In terms of physical size, they are usually rectangular in configuration with widths ranging from a few inches, to 6 inches ( ⁇ 15 cm), 1 foot ( ⁇ 30 cm), 2 feet (-61 cm) and even 3 feet ( ⁇ 91 cm) and lengths ranging from 3 feet ( ⁇ 91 cm) or more. Lengths of about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and more meters are not uncommon.
  • the inventive mounting system comprises a flexible, generally planar web of material which has an open volume construction.
  • web and “web section” in the context of this document mean an intricate three-dimensional network or arrangement of numerous interconnected filaments, fibers, threads, thongs, branches or other similar elongated elements which, in the aggregate, span the entire length, width and thickness of the web (or web section) and which, in addition, resemble or are suggestive of woven or entangled textile fibers.
  • an open cell or reticulated foam is a "web" in the context of this document, because the numerous elements which form the foam (the cell walls of the foam), in the aggregate, form an intricate three-dimensional network extending across the entire length, width and thickness of the foam.
  • these cell walls in the aggregate resemble or at least suggest woven or entangled textile fibers, because adjacent cell walls in combination are thin, curved and intertwined.
  • a fibrous mat is a "web” in the context of this document, because the elements forming the mat (the fibers) are also thin, curved, intertwined and, in the aggregate, form an intricate three-dimensional network which extends across the entire length, width and thickness of the mat.
  • the mounting hardware used for example, to mount the SolyndraTM PV panels available from Solyndra, Inc. of Fremont, California, as shown on Solyndra' s website at www. solyndra. com. , do not constitute a "web" within the meaning of this document.
  • the individual mounting "stands" which constitute this mounting hardware are each formed from only four long, straight, rigid, metal rods which are rigidly secured at their tops to a mounting pad for attaching to the frame of the Solyndra PV panel and at their bottoms to respective long, straight, rigid metal "feet.”
  • These relatively few, large, straight, rigid, metal rods, pads and feet do not constitute “numerous” interconnected "filaments, fibers, threads, thongs, branches or other similar elongated elements" within the meaning of this disclosure.
  • the generally-trapezoidal arrangement of these relatively few, large, straight, rigid, metal rods, pads and feet be regarded as "intricate” within the meaning of this disclosure.
  • "generally planar" in this context means that the web defines two major faces, one for mating with the roofing surface and the other for carrying the PV panel to be mounted, which major faces are arranged generally opposite one another and which are spaced apart by a distance (thickness) which is less than the length or width of either major face. Normally, the length and width of the web will be greater than the thickness of the web by a factor of 2, 3, 4 or more. As further discussed below in connection with Figs.
  • an "open volume construction" in the context of this document means that a major portion of the volume of the web forming the inventive mounting system is open space, with this open space freely communicating with the atmosphere surrounding the lateral edges of the web. And by “freely communicating” is meant that a fluid such as air can freely flow into and out of this open space through these lateral edges, from one lateral side of the web to the other.
  • Open volume webs in which the open space comprises > 50%, > 75%, > 90%, > 93%, > 95%, > 97%, > 98% and > 99%, of the total volume of the web are more interesting.
  • the web forming the inventive mounting system also has a cross-sectional size and shape ("profile") generally corresponding to the cross-sectional size and shape ("footprint") of the particular PV panel being mounted.
  • profile generally corresponding to the cross-sectional size and shape
  • footprint cross-sectional size and shape
  • cross-sectional size and shape refers to the size and shape of the web in its length and width dimensions, not its thickness dimension.
  • a "generally corresponding size and shape” means that the lateral edges of the web forming the inventive mounting system are at least coterminous, or at least essentially coterminous, with the lateral edges of the PV panel which it mounts over a majority of the periphery of the web.
  • coterminous means that the lateral edge of the mounting system extends to and is generally parallel with the corresponding lateral edge of the PV panel.
  • the web will be at least coterminous, or at least essentially coterminous, with the lateral edges of the PV panel which it mounts over > -75%, > -85%, > -90%, > -95%, or even > -98%, of the periphery of the web.
  • the inventive mounting system can also have a planar profile which is larger than the corresponding planar profile of the PV panel it supports, i.e., greater than coterminous in the sense that the lateral edges of the inventive mounting system extend beyond the planar profile of the PV panel.
  • This arrangement may make it possible to lower installation costs in some instances such as, for example, where the inventive mounting system as supplied from the manufacturer is larger than the PV panel being mounted.
  • Using a larger mounting system may avoid the additional labor costs associated with trimming the edges of the mounting system to fit the profile of the panel. Since using a larger mounting system does not adversely affect its function and/or operation, such larger mounting systems can be used, if desired.
  • the lateral edges of such a mounting system will still be understood to be “at least coterminous, or at least essentially coterminous,” with the corresponding lateral edges of this PV panel, notwithstanding the fact that the portions of the lateral edges of the mounting system at these abutting and/or overlapping locations do not extend all the way, or essentially all the way, to the corresponding lateral edge of the PV panel.
  • the open volume webs forming the inventive mounting system normally require a certain minimum thickness to exert a noticeable decrease in conductive heat transfer from PV panel to roofing surface. For webs in which the open volume represents about ⁇ 97% of the web's total volume, this minimum thickness is on the order of ⁇ 1 cm.
  • maximum thickness there is no particular restriction on maximum web thickness, and hence any thickness can be used, as desired.
  • a practical limit i.e., a maximum practical thickness
  • this maximum practical thickness is on the order of ⁇ 5 to ⁇ 11 cm.
  • the minimum necessary thickness, the maximum practical thickness, and the preferred thickness to use for a particular application of this invention can be easily determined by routine experimentation.
  • a particular advantage of the inventive mounting system is that it is inexpensive to manufacture and install. For this reason, it is desirable to make the open volume webs of this invention with a thickness which accomplishes the goal of eliminating, minimizing or at least reducing convective heat transfer to the desired degree but is not so thick that it needlessly increases manufacturing and/or installation costs.
  • the open volume webs of this invention can be made from essentially any physical structure.
  • they can be formed from fibrous mats, open cell foams, reticulated foams, wire meshes, fiberglass meshes, woven and unwoven fabrics, and so forth.
  • they can also be made from extruded and/or injected molded plastics.
  • injection molding or extrusion can be used to form an open volume web in the form of a sheet or frame carrying a system of hills, bumps and/or protrusions extending from the sheet, these hills, bumps and/or protrusions defining therebetween the open volume and thickness of the web and being formed from interconnected filaments, fibers, threads, thongs, branches or other similar elongated elements.
  • the open volume webs of this invention can be made from any material which is strong enough to support the PV panels being mounted in an essentially stationary position and, in addition, which is strong enough to hold these PV panels in place when subjected to the atmospheric conditions that will be encountered in use (e.g., rain, snow, hail, wind storms, etc.).
  • the open volume webs can be made from metals, fiberglass, plastics and other suitable materials.
  • exemplary plastics include nylon, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyester, polyurethane, etc.
  • the inventive mounting system As inexpensive as possible, it is also desirable that its design be such that it can be produced in the form of a continuous web or sheet (or at least a large area web or sheet) by an automatic manufacturing operation which automatically provides and interconnects the various different elements forming the web into their final form and arrangement.
  • automatic manufacturing processes such as forming an open cell or reticulated foam, weaving and then bunching a fabric, assembling a fibrous mat, injection molding and extrusion are examples of automatic manufacturing operations with can manufacture a product to a desired final thickness, cross-sectional shape and open volume structure without manually assembling the different elements forming the product.
  • the inventive mounting system is made from multiple sections of flexible open volume webs which are assembled together by the installer to provide a completed mounting system of this invention.
  • two continuous webs each having a desired final thickness, cross-sectional shape and open volume structure can be placed one atop the other, or side by side, to form a completed mounting system of this invention.
  • the total number of web sections needed to form the inventive mounting system will normally be no more than 8, more typically no more than 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 or 2. Of course, when PV panels extremely large in size are used, more web sections may be required.
  • the multiple web sections will normally be assembled in a closely packed arrangement in the sense that when aggregated together they form an essentially continuous web of material spanning essentially the entire cross-sectional size and shape of the PV panel being mounted.
  • multiple web sections of will be used which, in the aggregate, extend over less than the entire cross-sectional area ("footprint") of the PV panel being mounted. If so, these web sections in the aggregate desirably extend over a cross-sectional area representing > ⁇ 50%, > ⁇ 60%, > ⁇ 70%, > ⁇ 80%, or even > ⁇ 90% of the cross-sectional area of the "footprint" of the PV panel being mounted.
  • the inventive mounting system at least in some embodiments is structured to have a cross-sectional profile which has essentially the same cross-sectional size and shape as the "footprint" as the PV panel to be mounted.
  • the cross- sectional profile of the inventive mounting system and cross-sectional profile of the PV panel being mounts are essentially congruent with one another. In one embodiment of this invention, this is done by manufacturing the open volume web to have this desired profile.
  • a particularly interesting material for use in making the inventive open volume webs of this invention are the DriwallTM line of drainage and ventilation mats available from Keene Building Products of Mayfield Heights, Ohio. These products, which can be described as "entangled monofilament polymer webs,” take the form of a tangled web of randomly oriented extruded thermoplastic polymer monofilaments which are bonded to one another at their respective junctions, preferably by heat welding, thereby forming a resilient, structural mat of predetermined thickness. See, the website of Keene Building Products at http://keenebuilding.com. See, also, U.S. 7,096,630 and U.S. 4,315,392, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
  • these entangled monofilament polymer webs are made with a thicknesses that varies from side to side, as shown in Fig. 2 discussed below, instead of a uniform thickness, in order to facilitate drainage of rain water.
  • these entangled monofilament polymer webs are made with geometric patterns of hills, valleys, protrusions, etc., much like the bottom of an egg carton such as shown, for example, in Figs. 4 and 5 also discussed below. If desired, these hills, valleys, protrusions, etc. can be made to vary from region to region and/or to vary in thickness from one to the other in order to provide particular combinations of flexibility and open volume design. See, Fig. 5.
  • a metalized layer or sheet can be interposed between the inventive mounting system and the PV panel, or between the inventive mounting system and the roofing surface, or both, for providing still additional reflectance of infrared radiation.
  • Metal foils such as aluminum foil can be used for this purpose, as can metalized plastic sheets and metalized plastic fabrics.
  • one or more layers of other materials e.g., closed cell polymer foams, can also be interposed between the inventive mounting system and the PV panel, or between the inventive mounting system and the roofing surface, or both, for providing still additional reflectance of infrared radiation.
  • this approach also facilitates installation in that it avoids dripping and/or gravity-induced flow of adhesive applied to the upper surface of an open volume web into the web's interior before the adhesive sets up (i.e., before the adhesive becomes immobile).
  • This approach finds particular application when the open volume web forming the inventive mounting system is an entangled monofilament polymer web, as described above. However, this approach can also be used with any of the other open volume webs described above, as well.
  • the inventive mounting system is secured to the PV panel being mounted, as well as to the roof on which it is mounted, by a suitable adhesive.
  • any adhesive exhibiting the desired combination of adhesive strength and weather resistance can be used for this purpose.
  • the same adhesives currently used for bonding flexible PV panels to new and existing roofing surfaces can be used for this purpose.
  • Other specific examples include hot asphalt, other hot melt adhesives, aqueous asphalt emulsions, and solvent-based adhesives comprising a mixture of one or more organic resins and an organic solvent system capable of dissolving the organic resin.
  • Butyl tape adhesives i.e., the adhesives used to bond commercially-available butyl tape and other similar non-metal "counterflashing" materials to roofing surfaces, window openings, etc., are particularly interesting.
  • the adhesive is applied to the inventive mounting system itself, either to one major face or to both major faces.
  • the adhesive- coated web is not oriented so that an adhesive-coated major face is above the remainder of the web until the adhesive has thickened to the point where it is no longer capable of dripping or flowing by gravity to any significant degree.
  • Hot melt adhesives and butyl tape adhesives also work well in this approach.
  • the adhesive may also be sprayable, if desired.
  • Sprayable in this context means that the adhesive can be applied to a roof substrate by means of commercially-available spraying equipment, for example, a double ball displacement pump with a pressure range of 500 to 700 psi such as Hennis- Johnson HJ4518X, HJ5318, or a Garlock 120 Sprayer.
  • the adhesives used in this invention are formulated from organic resins or resin combinations
  • these resins desirably are both flexible and weather- resistant.
  • weather-resistant means that the resin or resin combination in its final form, i.e., after being formulated into an adhesive and applied to a substrate and dried, will not significantly degrade when exposed to ambient outdoor conditions including sunlight, rain, snow and the like over extended periods of time.
  • a foamed adhesive is used for bonding the inventive mounting system to the roofing surface, to the PV panel, or both, as this provides an additional barrier to conductive heat flow.
  • FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of the inventive mounting system and associated PV panel.
  • thin film flexible PV panel 12 is mounted on outer roofing surface 14 of a building (not shown) by means of mounting system 16 of this invention.
  • mounting system 16 is an open volume web in the form of a mat of fibrous padding having a pair of generally opposed major faces and lateral edges connecting these major faces.
  • PV panel 12 is bonded to the upper major face of mounting system 16 by means of adhesive layer 18, while mounting system 16 is bonded by its lower major face to outer roofing surface 14 by means of adhesive layer 20.
  • Fig. 2 illustrates a similar system except that, in the system of Fig. 2, the thickness of mounting system 22 increases essentially continuously from one side of the system to an opposite side of the system.
  • PV panel 12 is arranged at an acute angle with respect to the horizontal, which enables rain water 21 to wash off any dirt or other debris that may have accumulated on the panel.
  • Fig. 2 illustrates only one PV panel 12, it will be appreciate that multiple PV panels mounted at an acute angle with respect to the horizontal can be arranged in rows, with the PV panels in adjacent rows being in an abutting or slightly overlapping relationship with one another. With this approach, "troughs" or passageways are formed by the edges of adjacent rows of PV panels for facilitating transfer of rain water to an appropriately located drain.
  • PV panels are arranged in an overlapping and/or abutting relationship in accordance with this aspect of the invention, it may be necessary to remove a portion of the open volume web forming the inventive mounting system.
  • the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 3 is essentially the same as that of Fig. 2 except that, in the embodiment of Fig. 3, adhesive layer 20 is made from a foamed adhesive to provide further resistance to conductive heat flow between PV panel 12 and outer roofing surface 14.
  • Fig. 5 illustrates an inventive mounting system similar to that of Fig. 4 except that, in the inventive mounting system of Fig. 5, the height of the truncated peaks varies from one side of the web to the other. With this design, the thickness of the inventive mounting system varies from one side to the in the same way as the mounting system of Fig. 2 so that a PV panel mounted with this system can also be arranged at an acute angle with respect to the horizontal.
  • the PV panel was mounted on the test roofing surface by means of a nylon entangled monofilament polymer web, in particular, a DriwallTM brand mortar deflection panel available from Keene Building Products of Mayfield Heights, Ohio. Mounting systems of different uniform thicknesses were compared to one another as well as to control experiments in which the PV panel was mounted directly on the test roofing surface or no PV panel at all was used.
  • Example 1
  • test roofing surface was made from a white single ply membrane
  • the PV panel was simulated by an aluminum sheet painted black
  • mounting systems 1 inch ( ⁇ 2.5 cm) and 2 inches ( ⁇ 5.0 cm) thick were compared to one another as well as to a direct mounted PV panel and no PV panel at all (i.e., bare roof testing surface).
  • Table 1 The results are reported in the following Table 1 :
  • the temperature of the white test roofing surface of this example rose to a steady state value of about 91.9° F ( ⁇ 33° C) when no PV panel was present.
  • the steady state temperature rose to approximately 107.4° F ( ⁇ 42° C).
  • Example 1 was repeated except that the test roofing surface was made from a black bitumen membrane. The results are reported in the following Table 2:
  • Table 2 shows essentially the same results as Table 1, i.e., that lower steady state temperatures were reached when the simulated PV panel was mounted using the inventive mounting system rather than the control in which the PV panel was mounted directly on the test roofing surface and further that the magnitude of temperature lowering increased as the thickness of the inventive mounting system increased.
  • Example 2 was repeated, except that the PV panel used was a section cut from a commercially available Unisolar brand flexible Solar panel available from United Solar Ovonic LLC, a division of Energy Conversion Devices of Rochester Hills, Minnesota. The results are reported in the following Table 3:
  • Table 3 shows that, while direct mount of this flexible solar panel will actually reduce the amount of heat transferred to the test roofing surface somewhat, a still greater amount of heat reduction is achieved if this flexible solar panel is mounted to this test roofing surface by the inventive mounting system. In addition, Table 3 further shows that the magnitude of this additional heat reduction increases as the thickness of the inventive mounting system increases.
  • Example 3 was repeated, except that the test roofing surface used was the same a white test roofing surface used in Example 1. The results are reported in the following Table 4:

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Architecture (AREA)
  • Civil Engineering (AREA)
  • Structural Engineering (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Sustainable Development (AREA)
  • Sustainable Energy (AREA)
  • Thermal Sciences (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Roof Covering Using Slabs Or Stiff Sheets (AREA)

Abstract

Un panneau photovoltaïque souple et mince est monté sur le toit horizontal d'un bâtiment au moyen d'un tissu en polymère monofilament enchevêtré. En conséquence, il est possible de supprimer le chauffage par conduction du toit et du bâtiment situé en dessous, dû à la chaleur fugitive générée par le panneau photovoltaïque, qui autrement se produirait si le panneau photovoltaïque était monté directement sur le toit.
PCT/US2010/039896 2009-06-29 2010-06-25 Système de montage pour panneau photovoltaïque WO2011002667A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

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US22139809P 2009-06-29 2009-06-29
US61/221,398 2009-06-29

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Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4677248A (en) * 1985-09-13 1987-06-30 Lacey Thomas G Apparatus for mounting solar cells
US5298085A (en) * 1992-03-24 1994-03-29 Aec-Able Engineering Company, Inc. Support blanket for solar cell arrays
US6495750B1 (en) * 2001-07-10 2002-12-17 Powerlight Corporation Stabilized PV system
US6930238B2 (en) * 2002-03-28 2005-08-16 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Solar cell module-mounting structure and solar cell module array

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4677248A (en) * 1985-09-13 1987-06-30 Lacey Thomas G Apparatus for mounting solar cells
US5298085A (en) * 1992-03-24 1994-03-29 Aec-Able Engineering Company, Inc. Support blanket for solar cell arrays
US6495750B1 (en) * 2001-07-10 2002-12-17 Powerlight Corporation Stabilized PV system
US6930238B2 (en) * 2002-03-28 2005-08-16 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Solar cell module-mounting structure and solar cell module array

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