Trapezoidal rib mounting bracket

A mounting bracket for trapezoidal rib panels, comprising:

• an upper wall comprising a mounting hole, wherein said upper wall defines an uppermost extreme of said mounting bracket when installed on a trapezoidal rib, wherein an entirety of said upper wall is in the form of a single flat surface that incorporates said mounting hole, and wherein said single flat surface has a perimeter that defines an area of at least 2.5 in.2;
• first and second side legs that each extend downwardly from said upper wall in non-parallel relation to one another when said mounting bracket is positioned on a trapezoidal rib, said first side leg being disposable adjacent to a first side of a trapezoidal rib and said second side leg being disposable adjacent to a second side of a trapezoidal rib when said mounting bracket is positioned on a trapezoidal rib;
• at least one hollow space between said first and second side legs;
• and
• at least one rib offsetting member, wherein each said rib offsetting member offsets said upper wall of said bracket from an upper rib wall of a trapezoidal rib when said mounting bracket is positioned on a trapezoidal rib, and wherein said at least one hollow space comprises a first open space disposed directly below said upper wall having a vertical extent of at least ½ inch.

A photovoltaic system, comprising:

• a mounting assembly comprising:
• a mounting bracket comprising an upper wall and an oppositely disposed bottom, said upper wall comprising a mounting hole, said bottom comprising a rib receptacle that is sized to receive at least an upper portion of a trapezoidal rib of a trapezoidal rib panel, and said rib receptacle being defined by first and second inner side surfaces that are disposed in non-parallel and spaced relation to one another;
• a mounting plate positioned on said upper wall of said mounting bracket;
• a clamping member comprising first and second clamping legs, said first clamping leg being engageable with a photovoltaic module and said second clamping leg being engageable with an adjacent photovoltaic module;
• and
• a clamp fastener that extends through said clamping member, then through said mounting plate, and then at least into said mounting hole of said mounting bracket.