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Love the design and I'll be trying something similar. Quick question: what diameter did you dig the holes to? I was thinking of using an 8" auger but a little quick math says that likely wouldn't have enough strength at the corners of the 2x6
Thank you so much this gave me great information to start my own project
Месяц назад
Great video. I like the simplicity. Not a lot to go wrong. I live in Maine where we get 70 mph nor easters and wonder if the tilting arms need to be reinforced around the bolt. How much wind do u get? I have access to 12 ft telephone pole that I plan on creating parallel faces for tilting arms.
I'm looking into a solar system, I never liked the fixed system. I'm in the tropics and my location is almost in a valley and I was thinking about how to utilizing the sun the entire day as it moves over, I'm glad I saw this idea. Thanks for the video
Great video and breakdown! I am wary of burying any wood - even Pressure Treated - as some last as rated and some turn to garbage quickly so it will probably be Schedule 30 pipe driven or in a sonotube for me as posts. Maybe markings or preset detents for optimal angles by month in the site's latitude could be a nice touch. WELL DONE! PS: They have 'soft start' add-ons for large surge appliances. They are not cheap but they alleviate the need for expensive overkill when it comes to capacities.
James, I very much enjoyed your presentation and I am grateful that you share your knowledge. I feel like I will use your design to do my own diy adjustable mount. Thank you, Ellis
Thanks, I'm working on designing an array like you are doing. I'm a cabinet maker/engineer so if you have any tips on what you've learned over this year and your build it would be much appreciated. I had back surgery which disabled my ability to walk but it hasn't kill me, thank God I grew up on a farm or I would have been toast as it taught me the word can't doesn't exist. Thanks again for the videos!
All I can say is that battery storage is very important. I started off with 400 AH at 48 V LIFEPO4. I was hoping this would last two days. I have 17,200 W of solar panels. I think I need to double my battery storage already. I first pull from the solar panels and with a secondary pull from from the batteries. But I do get some cloudy days in a row. I've already purchased a windmill to help offset some of the cloudy days. I am on grid. So if my batteries drop too low, I do have bypass power with trickle charging the batteries. But, I do think I need to double my battery bank to get me two more days. I think if I have four days with grid power down and solar and wind charging the batteries I could possibly last up to 7 to 10 days being conservative not longer. I do like your ground mount. I think I'm going to copy it and change a few things. My solar panels are a little bit bigger than yours at 555 W. So I think I'm gonna build the same tilting array as you did only using eight solar panels. I do live in the great white north Canada, so tilting becomes a very big plus in the winter for sun gathering and snow shedding. I was looking for a great solution, and thanks to your video, has given me some good ideas. Thanks
I just ordered 14 panels and researching ground mounts DIY. Found you! I'm in Doyline, Louisiana. Already have a dual axis tracker with 12 panels, probably will put and actuator to tilt with anemometer to know when to go flat for high wind.
Excellent design and video! I have some serious wind in North East Ohio by the lake and will be using your design. I'll be adding some overkill. Concrete and posts at a 45 degree angle about 4' behind to help brace it. 40-60mph gusts. Not many trees around. Thanks for sharing!!!
I would put some 10ga plates at the pivot to spread the load to the post. The uplift from wind loads has me worried about relying on 1” of material to keep it in place.
You got off track about the tilt from the summer to winter of before you had tilt to after you had tilt. How much of a difference was there in production in the winter between the two?
Bonjour, Je voudrais faire la même construction chez moi. Les poteaux, ce sont des carrés de 12x12, 14x14, 16x16 ....? C'est du classe 4 du douglas ? Est-ce que les poteaux sont bétonnés ? Avez-vous mis du goudron au pied des poteaux ? Quel durée de vie pour la partie enterrée ? Merci à vous. Bonne journée Cordialement La France (dept 72) 👍💪
I would consider adding another block of material in-between your pairs of arms that is set to be a positive stop when the array is at it's most vertical orientation. My biggest worry with a system like that is it's TOO easy to move, especially when strong winds turn that entire structure into a giant sail.
I have theBlueSun 460W Half-Cell Bifacial Solar Panel (Silver) | Up to 575W with Bifacial Gain. 27 total. I was wondering if i could use reflectix as a reflective placed about a foot beneath (underside) of the panels to get the gain. Thoughts? Thanks.
We're so anticipating a ground mount update over here. I'm taking your lead on the design and would love to know how the tilt is workin out and would appreciate some close ups on how the panels are attached to the strut and so forth. We appreciate the time it takes to put this content out and are jealous of the salt water tank.... West Virginia solar freak🌞
I cannot see in the video, But did you run Ethernet to each workstation, or are you relying on Wifi? I love the dual offices.... I'd need soundproofing between the two, My wife is very loud on the phone!
Just finished my solar project and want to give a shout out for a great plan and thanks for your kind assistance! Several people including inspectors, utility workers, material suppliers, and trades people have openly admired the ground stand and wanted to know where I got the plan. Of course, I told them I got it from you. Here are few notes and comments. 1. I live on a wind-swept plain in the upper Midwest where the winters are long and cold and soil is sandy, so I used 12" x 48" Ceme-Tube Plastic Standard Concrete Forming Tubes to get below the frost line, minimize frost lock, and provide sufficient ballast. For additional stability, I also added a second row of posts four feet behind the main row (Picture 1). That, combined with 1 ½” vertical gaps and 1” horizontal gaps between the panels meets national code requirements that structures can withstand sustained winds of 106 mph (which, where I live, is expected once every 3,000 years). 😊Since installing, we have had wind gusts in the 40 to 50 mph range, but you would never know it from the panels as they haven't shown even the slightest movement under those conditions. 2. My panels are each 405 kW and measure 40” x 72” mounted horizontally three high in four vertical columns. At that size, I was pushing the span limits of the wood framing and getting slight sag on the outside edges, so I slightly modified the original plan and mounted the four outside fascia boards on the inside with hangers lined up flush with the front of the struts. Then, I went back and added reinforcing boards on the outside (Pictures 2 and 3). 3. Finally, for additional structural integrity, I added 2x6 boards at each corner mounted perpendicularly at 45-degree angles (Pictures 4 and 5). 4. For adjusting the angle, I used 14 Gauge Slotted Steel Angles mounted on each of the posts (Picture 6). They are more than strong enough for the job because the array is nicely balanced and the wind exerts equal pressure on the top and bottom of the array. And, most importantly, the angle irons provide additional support to eliminate any sag or fatigue that might eventually develop in the wood components of the structure.
Nice job. You’ve given me a clue (since I had none) to how I should do my single panel mounted. Thank and I hope you’re better for more videos in the future.
Thanks for sharing. I just got through building mine. I don't quite have the open space and have the neighbors trees at the edge of my property. So I put wheels on mine. Summertime no problem, Sun overhead. In the fall I have to move my array into a different spot, so it rolls pretty easy on dry ground. Next adding an actuator for tracking.
Thanks for the video. Great design! I'm copying it. One question. How did you secure the unistrut to the 2 x 6's? And connections from unistrut to the panels? Thanks for your help.
