How To Build A Solar Panel Rack

Lowest cost all steel solar ground mounting system total investment for mounting a 6 panel array is less than 450.

How to build a solar panel rack. All you need are solar cells gauge wire test lead clips bus wire plastic film diodes and a few other tools like scissors and wire cutters. It normally costs over 500 but i figured out a way to easily put one together f. Put the mount together and place it on top of your solar panel to check the. Instead of buying an expensive roof rack system i commissioned a simple steel rack at the slo makerspace and then installed it on the fiberglass camper shell using stainless steel hardware diy neoprene gaskets and a lot of silicone sealant.

In this project the panels were attached with simple u brackets. To secure the solar panels to the unistrut crossbars we used 3 8 bolts external tooth lock washers and nylon unistrut cone nuts. Building your own have questions. Disassemble and reassemble this time.

Large components vertical pipe and cross rails can be purchased locally from any home improvement center. On all bolts we used blue loctite. If you re building your own frame and have questions about how to build our projects team is here to help. What you need step 1.

In order to fit thicker 3 8 bolts into the 1 4 holes on the hightec solar panel we drilled out the hole with a 3 8 bit. Cut pvc to length. Pvc cuts pretty easily but you ll want to make sure your cuts are straight. Low shipping costs everything in our kit fits in an 18 x 12 x 3 box.

Divide 216 inches which is the top to bottom length of the roof minus the 12 inch border on each side by the long edge of each panel and you get 3 3 panels obviously you cannot cut a panel so you can get three rows on your roof. I wanted to add solar panels to my travel truck which meant installing a sturdy rack to mount the panels on. This solar panel stand easily holds up to five or six 100 watt solar panels. Costing less than 30 to build this is a great basic solution for power needs on the go.

After soldering cut the tab wire test out the panel and secure everything together.