INTEGRAL PHOTOVOLTAIC UNIT
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A pre-assembled integral photovoltaic unit comprising:
- a mounting frame;
one or more solar cell assemblies mounted to said mounting frame;
an attachment means on the mounting frame for attaching the unit to an exterior structure; and
one or more electrical leads electrically connecting the plurality of solar cell assemblies;
one or more electronic components electrically connected with said solar cell assemblies.
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Abstract
Systems and methods for facilitating setting up a photovoltaic unit are presented. The current invention describes an integral photovoltaic unit and methods to install this unit onto a roof of a building or onto another structural component.
23 Citations
31 Claims
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1. A pre-assembled integral photovoltaic unit comprising:
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a mounting frame; one or more solar cell assemblies mounted to said mounting frame; an attachment means on the mounting frame for attaching the unit to an exterior structure; and one or more electrical leads electrically connecting the plurality of solar cell assemblies; one or more electronic components electrically connected with said solar cell assemblies. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A mounting frame for holding a plurality of solar cell assemblies, the mounting frame comprising:
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two or more triangular shaped rails; two or more flat end caps; and a plurality of brackets for attaching said mounting frame to an exterior structure; wherein said flat end caps are attached to an end of at least two of the two or more triangular shaped rails, wherein at least two of the triangular shaped rails are substantially parallel to each other, whereby said triangular shaped rails and said flat end caps form a frame. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 21, 22)
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18. A method for installing an integral photovoltaic unit on an exterior structure, the method comprising:
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placing a drill jig on the exterior structure to prepare one or more locations where said integral photovoltaic unit will be attached to the exterior structure; attaching one or more mounting blocks to said one or more locations, wherein said mounting blocks have a large area onto which said integral photovoltaic unit can be fixed; and installing said integral photovoltaic unit onto the exterior structure. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A portable template for use in conjunction with a mounting tool to install one or more photovoltaic units onto an exterior structure, the portable template comprising:
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a rigid frame; and a plurality of guides attached to said rigid frame, wherein said guides are used to guide a tool to enable a plurality of fixings to be attached to the exterior structure.
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29. A method for facilitating installation of an arrangement of integral photovoltaic units, the method comprising:
providing at least two integral photovoltaic units, wherein each of the at least two integral photovoltaic units includes at least one micro-inverter, further wherein the integral photovoltaic units include visual codes indicating the required orientation of the integral photovoltaic units to enable correct electrical connection of the micro-inverters.
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30. An integral photovoltaic unit comprising:
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a mounting frame; one or more photovoltaic modules connected with said mounting frame; at least one micro-inverter electrically connected with the photovoltaic modules; wherein the photovoltaic modules are grounded; wherein the integral photovoltaic unit includes visual codes indicating the orientation of the integral photovoltaic unit to enable correct electrical connection of the integral photovoltaic unit with an adjacent photovoltaic unit.
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31. A method for selecting a photovoltaic system size using a sizing chart, the method comprising:
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selecting a column/row corresponding to a solar zone where the photovoltaic system will be installed; selecting a row/column corresponding to a desired reduction in energy costs; connecting the selected column/row and row/column to determine the photovoltaic system size needed to achieve the desired reduction in energy costs.
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Specification