ROOF MOUNTED PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEM WITH ACCESSIBLE PANEL ELECTRONICS
First Claim
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1. A roofing system with integrated photovoltaic power generation, comprising in combination:
- a plurality of photovoltaic panels;
each photovoltaic panel including at least one photovoltaic cell on an upper surface thereof;
each photovoltaic panel including an underlying structure beneath said at least one photovoltaic cell;
said underlying structure including a lower side wall defining at least a portion of a lower edge of each said photovoltaic panel;
said underlying structure including an upper side opposite said lower side wall, said upper side defining at least a portion of an upper edge of each said photovoltaic panel;
said lower side wall of a first of said plurality of photovoltaic panels overlying said upper side of a second of said plurality of photovoltaic panels, with said first photovoltaic panel and said second photovoltaic panel adjacent each other and each angled with said upper sides higher than said lower side walls for each said photovoltaic panel;
said lower side wall of said first photovoltaic panel openly accessible above said at least one photovoltaic cell on said upper surface of said second photovoltaic panel underlying said first photovoltaic panel; and
at least one port in said lower side wall of said first photovoltaic panel, said port providing access to a space beneath said at least one photovoltaic cell of said first photovoltaic panel.
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Abstract
A support system for photovoltaic cells upon a roof. A cell support structure is provided beneath each cell, such as in the form of a pair of brackets to form a photovoltaic panel. The panels overlap partially to function somewhat as shingles, to shed water off of the roof. A lower side wall of each photovoltaic panel has at least one port therein to selectively access a space beneath the photovoltaic cell. Photovoltaic cell electronics, such as an inverter for one or a series of cells. A door is provided in one embodiment which selectively covers the port and acts as a support for the photovoltaic cell electronics.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A roofing system with integrated photovoltaic power generation, comprising in combination:
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a plurality of photovoltaic panels; each photovoltaic panel including at least one photovoltaic cell on an upper surface thereof; each photovoltaic panel including an underlying structure beneath said at least one photovoltaic cell; said underlying structure including a lower side wall defining at least a portion of a lower edge of each said photovoltaic panel; said underlying structure including an upper side opposite said lower side wall, said upper side defining at least a portion of an upper edge of each said photovoltaic panel; said lower side wall of a first of said plurality of photovoltaic panels overlying said upper side of a second of said plurality of photovoltaic panels, with said first photovoltaic panel and said second photovoltaic panel adjacent each other and each angled with said upper sides higher than said lower side walls for each said photovoltaic panel; said lower side wall of said first photovoltaic panel openly accessible above said at least one photovoltaic cell on said upper surface of said second photovoltaic panel underlying said first photovoltaic panel; and at least one port in said lower side wall of said first photovoltaic panel, said port providing access to a space beneath said at least one photovoltaic cell of said first photovoltaic panel. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A support structure for a photovoltaic cell to support the photovoltaic cell above an underlying angled surface along with a plurality of adjacent photovoltaic cells, the structure comprising in combination:
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a plurality of elements extending between a lower plane adapted to abut the underlying angled surface and an upper plane adapted to abut and support the photovoltaic cell thereon; a lower side wall defining at least a portion of a lower edge of the support structure and located between said lower plane and said upper plane; an upper side opposite said lower side wall, said upper side defining at least a portion of an upper edge of the support structure and located between said lower plane and said upper plane; space between said plurality of elements, between said upper plane and said lower plane, and between said lower side wall and said upper side, said space adapted to contain photovoltaic cell electronics therein; and at least one port in said lower side wall, said port providing access to said space through said lower side wall. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method for accessing photovoltaic cell electronics of a partially stacked array of separate photovoltaic panels, with the array having a lower side wall defining at least a portion of a lower edge of a first photovoltaic panel overlying an upper side of a second photovoltaic panel, and with the first photovoltaic panel and the second photovoltaic panel adjacent each other and angled with the upper sides higher than the lower side walls for each of the photovoltaic panels, the accessing method including the steps of:
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keeping the lower side wall of the first panel opening accessible above a photovoltaic cell on an upper surface of the second photovoltaic panel underlying the first photovoltaic panel; identifying a port in the lower side wall, the port providing access to a space beneath a photovoltaic cell of the first photovoltaic panel; and accessing photovoltaic cell electronics associated with the first photovoltaic panel which are located in the space beneath the photovoltaic cell of the first photovoltaic panel, through the port of said identifying step. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21)
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Specification