|
|
My family and I live in an off grid solar powered house we built. The last few months have been very cloudy and we haven't been getting much power from the solar. So the LP generator has been running a lot more than it should. With no end to the cloudiness in site, I decided to add more solar (photo voltatic) panels. I currently have about 3kW worth of panels on pole top mounts that I quickly fabbed in the past. They are set on 6" schedule 40 pipe embedded in concrete. For the new panels, I decided I didn't want to deal with excavation of frozen ground and pouring concrete. So I decided to mount the new panels and move the existing panels to a new mount on my garage.My garage is comprised of two 20' shipping containers with trusses over the top. I have 4x4x1/4" square tube that is bolted to the container that the roof trusses set on. The new solar racking ties in with this and bolts on the corner fittings.Structural steel is 4x4x1/4" for the vertical tubes. 4x4x0.120 for the 31' long tubes. 5x2x1/4" for the cantilever arms. I fabricated it at my shop about 40 miles from my house. I am not really setup for dealing with 31' long things in the building. But with it below zero outside, I figured out how to make it work.Holes were drilled with mag drill. Welding was down with Miller 180 MIG welder. I weld much more with my TIG welders and am not very good with MIG. But I, of course, ran out of TIG shielding gas when the LWS was closed. Primer is Sherman Williams Chem Cromatic red oxide primer. This stuff will last years out in the elements without looking too bad. And can be sloppily applied down to about 40 degrees F.
Reply:I took the 31' tubes and structural steel home on my car hauler trailer. Quite a bit of overhang, but it was done on a Sunday with little traffic. And a red shop rag taped to the end of the tubes. Only issue was I didn't fully retract the trailer landing gear and bounced it on a railroad crossing. Now I have a trailer that is going to need some attention.I did the installation (and fabrication) my self. I have a almost 2 year old daughter, a 4 month old son, and a wife that has her hands full taking care of them.First step of installation was bolting on the cantilever beams. I used some special shipping container corner mount nuts that my company designed and manufactures.Then I had to tie in with the existing horizontal tube. All hardware is 3/4-10 heavy hex bolts and nuts. So I had to get a 3/4" clearance hole through the tube. I made a bushing in the lathe so I could use an aircraft length drill bit to make a center pilot hole.Cantilever beams installed:Details of bolted joints:Structural steel in place:Solar rails (strut) in place for first 1.5kW of modules:First set of modules racked:
Reply:Youtube time lapse videos of installation:
Reply:This looks like a perfectly practical installation. I'm hoping this year to get a 12kW solar array set up for my farm and might steal some of your ideas.Lincoln Precision Tig 185Lincoln Power Mig 256Hypertherm PM 45Everlast 140STSmith O/A
Reply:Looks like a good place for a windmill for power, you would catch alot of wind coming across the open fields....then you have power in any weather.Of all the things I lost I miss my mind the most...I know just enough about everything to be dangerous......You cant cure stupid..only kill it...
Reply:Wow!! another day in paradise, keep posting !
Reply:Loos really good
Reply:Well fabricated. Nice neat work. I take it the panels are largely fixed non tracking, in which case, what was the rational for not utilizing a roof surface mount as well?
Reply:Originally Posted by roadkillbobbLooks like a good place for a windmill for power, you would catch alot of wind coming across the open fields....then you have power in any weather.
Reply:I have done many other container mounted things. Here is another, smaller, solar array I did on one of my containers in Fairbanks, AK. This one is a simple design for mounting a single row of panels. There are brackets that I designed that bolt to a 4x4x1/4" tube running the length of the container. Also visible are the jib crane mount we make for shipping containers. And the antenna / satellite dish mount.And here is my Alaska welder, just for ****s and giggles:
Reply:I like the Monster Truck tire alaska welder! Cool project, thanks for sharing.
Reply:What are the dimensions of the two containers and roof? Would you do that again instead of building a pole barn?
Reply:You mentioned the company you work for a lot and things they make for containers, would you mind telling the name of company? So we could have access to some net parts as w
Reply:Originally Posted by CraboWhat are the dimensions of the two containers and roof? Would you do that again instead of building a pole barn? |
|
发表于 2021-8-31 22:13:58