Solar Panels Moved to a Ground Frame

After five days we finally have a new shed roof, but more importantly, we have a functioning solar system again. Yippee! No more having to run the generator. Mother Nature is now doing the work for us. Although the job is not completely done, the installation is completed enough to be working. 

What a difference when the panel is washed! 

We put four solar panels together on an aluminum rack, which we then mounted onto the ground frame that we built. We made four racks for a total of 16 solar panels. Each of the racks is attached in such a way that we can raise or lower one end, thus adjusting the angle to follow the sun during the year. This will give us much more power generating capability, compared to fixed panels. 

16 panels mounted on the new ground frame. 

A new combiner box was mounted onto the ground frame, bringing all the wiring from the panels to one spot. From there an underground wire takes the power to the inverter inside the power shed. The wire is not yet buried, but I will be getting to that job in a couple of days. We opted to go with an underground wire rather than an overhead one.

After getting things assembled, hubby worked on the finishing wiring while I tackled cleaning the panels. I knew they were going to be dirty because I was not able to reach them up high on the roof. Just hosing them off really wasn't enough, but that's all I had been able to do. But boy was I surprised to see just how horrendously dirty they were! With a little soap and gentle rubbing, our dark panels turned a pleasing shade of blue. And not surprisingly, the watts they were producing skyrocketed. Moving the panels to a ground frame turned out to be one very good decision. Now we will be able to keep them clean, treat any rust that starts up, and service them as needed. Quite honestly, I never want to go back to roof mounted panels again.