Elevated dual-axis photovoltaic solar tracking assembly

A photovoltaic solar tracking assembly comprising:

• an elongated pole having a proximal end configured to removably attach to a foundation, and a distal end, the elongated pole at least twenty feet in length;
• a mounting support plate configured to removably attach to the distal end of the elongated pole;
• a frame comprising at least two horizontal beams and atleasttwo vertical beams, the frame configured to support a photovoltaic array in parallel relationship therewith, the photovoltaic array comprising one or more solar panels, the frame further configured to rotate 0 degrees to 90 degrees with respect to a horizontal plane and rotate 0 degrees to 360 degrees in the horizontal plane;
• a dual drive-core unit comprising:
• an upstanding stiffener plate having a triangular shape with two side surfaces and a bottom surface;
• a mounting frame attached to the bottom surface of the upstanding stiffener plate;
• a first slew drive configured to be driven by a first motor to rotate the frame in a first direction, the first slew drive mounted to the mounting frame and one of the two side surfaces of the upstanding stiffener plate;
• and
• a second slew drive configured to be driven by a second motor to rotate the frame in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, the second slew drive mounted to the mounting frame and removably attached to the mounting support plate;
• and
• a control system communicatively coupled with the dual drive-core unit, the control system configured to execute a positioning algorithm and control the dual drive-core unit to control the first and second motors to drive the first and second slew drives to move the frame and the photovoltaic array to maintain orthogonal orientation with both the azimuth motion of the sun and the elevation motion of the sun to position the one or more solar panels of the photovoltaic array perpendicular to light from the sun.

A method for maintaining orthogonal orientation between a photovoltaic solar tracking assembly and the sun, comprising:

• providing a photovoltaic solar tracking assembly comprising:
• an elongated pole having a proximal end configured to removably attach to a foundation, and a distal end;
• a mounting support plate configured to removably attach to the distal end of the elongated pole;
• a frame comprising at least two horizontal beams and at least two vertical beams, the frame configured to support a photovoltaic array;
• a dual drive-core unit comprising:
• an upstanding stiffener plate having a triangular shape with two side surfaces and a bottom surface;
• a mounting frame attached to the bottom surface of the upstanding stiffener plate;
• a first slew drive configured to be driven by a first motor to rotate the frame in a first direction, the first slew drive mounted to the mounting frame and one of the two side surfaces of the upstanding stiffener plate;
• a second slew drive configured to be driven by a second motor to rotate the frame in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, the second slew drive mounted to the mounting frame;
• and
• a control system communicatively coupled with the dual drive-core unit;
• at a beginning portion of a daylight portion of a 24 hour cycle, controlling the dual drive-core unit to control the first and second motors to drive the first and second slew drives to position the photovoltaic array in orthogonal orientation with a current azimuth of the sun and a current elevation of the sun;
• and
• repeating the controlling of the dual drive-core unit to control the first and second motors to drive the first and second slew drives to re-position the photovoltaic array in orthogonal orientation with a current azimuth of the sun and a current elevation of the sun at a predetermined time interval.