Ballasted tracker drive assembly
AssigneeSolarCity Corporation
InventorGregory Philip Patnude
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
PV modules and ballast arm assemblies are mounted onto a torque tube suspended from a support structure. The support structures allows torque tube, and mounted PV modules and ballast arm assemblies, to freely rotate. The ballast arm assembly includes a drive mechanism, an arm and a ballast. The drive mechanism allows the adjustment angle between the PV module and the arm and ballast to be changed. Changing the adjustment angle causes the torque tube, and mounted PV modules, to freely rotate to a different orientation angle in order to balance the moments of PV modules and ballast arm assemblies caused by gravity. The orientation angle can be changed throughout the day by changing the adjustment angle in order for the PV modules to track the sun.
Claims20
A photovoltaic tracker array section, comprising:
- a torque tube rotatably attached to a support structure;
- a first photovoltaic module mounted to the torque tube;
- and
- a ballast arm assembly suspended from the torque tube, including:
- an arm portion;
- a ballast at a first end of the arm portion;
- and
- a drive mechanism at a second end of the arm portion, wherein the drive mechanism is configured to change an adjustment angle between the arm portion and the first photovoltaic module in order to cause the torque tube, and mounted first photovoltaic module, to rotate to an orientation angle relative to the support structure.
A ballast arm assembly, comprising;
- an arm including a ballast at a first end;
- and
- a drive mechanism connected to a second end of the arm, opposite the first end;
- wherein the drive mechanism is configured to be rotatably mounted to a torque tube with a photovoltaic module mounted to the torque tube;
- and
- wherein the drive mechanism is configured to change an adjustment angle between the arm and the photovoltaic module mounted to the torque tube.
A method of orienting a photovoltaic module, comprising:
- positioning a ballast arm assembly, rotatably suspended from a torque tube, at a first adjustment angle relative to a photovoltaic module mounted to the torque tube, wherein the ballast arm assembly positioned at the first adjustment angle causes the torque tube and mounted photovoltaic module to be oriented at a first orientation angle relative to gravity;
- and
- positioning the ballast arm assembly at a second adjustment angle, different than the first adjustment angle, wherein the ballast arm assembly positioned at the second adjustment angle causes the torque tube and mounted photovoltaic module to be oriented at a second orientation angle, different than the first orientation angle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.