diy solar

diy solar

Pole Mounted Solar Panels

Ten90

Ten90

New Member
Joined
Oct 12, 2019
Messages
7
Location
Kearney, Ontario, Canada
It seems like I cannot find a whole lot of info on diy pole mounts for solar panels.

Does anyone have any links to some ideas?

I am hoping to mount 4 - 60 cell panels and would love to get some inspiration.
 
Did you mean 4 to 6 or are you powering a whole town?

I just wonder if pole mounting is even feasible because of that single stress point a center pole would create with wind pushing up on one point.. Perhaps a pole with a frame welded to it and the panels mounted to that frame, but if you think about construction stresses, a frame supported on 4 sides is going to be a lot more stable than a center mount, because I don't know how you'd mount a panel built on a frame to a pole. We don't know if you live in a fairly windy environment or not. Can you demonstrate with maybe a quick and dirty drawing of what you have in mind?
 
Quite the typo on my part! I am wanting to mount 4 panels.
I am thinking of something like this for a temporary set-up. The more I think about it, I am better to wait until we have the septic system placed, as the panels will be in front of them. It will make life easier to get machinery in. 00FAD6D3-D1A4-4CA0-8606-DF8BFB09E355.jpeg
 
You have a handle on it. You're fine. I might put an upright right between the middle 2 panels that goes from the front horizontal piece to the ground. You don't want to have that 8 ft wide piece sagging in the middle.
 
I'm in a similar situation. I think I have a workable option in my case. My goal is to mount three 335Watt panels on a chain-link fence post (2 3/8" diameter). I wanted something where I could manually tilt both in the vertical and horizontal axis.

I've been favoring this DIY approach:
eBay - Universal solar panel pole mount kit, holds 2 large panels or 4 125 watt pan.

I have a working improvised proto-type. The pics below are a 1st attempt with 2 panels on the pole, just trying out the concept. I've since moved it further away from the house and bolted everything down better. The thin Aluminum Channels (3/4" by 3/4" by 8') I have on it now (pictured) are not strong enough rails. Although, after 2 weeks now, the panels are still on the pole, but just barely.

PoleMount1.jpgPoleMount2.jpgPoleMount3.jpgPoleMount5.jpg

Today, I just bought a thick Aluminum plate (3/8" thick by 12" by 12") and some bigger Aluminum Channels as rails (1" by 2" by 8') locally from Grainger. I'm gonna see if I can possibly fit a 3rd panel on this weekend. Guess we'll see if it might be too much or not. I was gonna post a thread once I had a decent working concept.

Trying to keep it reasonably simple, somewhat low-cost, easy to clean/ maintain, etc... And, I'd like to be able to take it down and possibly relocate it later on.
 
If you are looking for ideas you might consider something along the lines of what I am planning.
I like working with "junk", recycling stuff that previously was used for something else. In the unit I'm planning (Will's "Classic 400 Watt") I want to be able to adjust both for angle to the sun as well as to be able to track the sun. My thoughts are to stand a trailer axle on end with the bottom end embedded in a slab of concrete (so this won't a mobile rig). The upright end will still have a rim on the end of the axle. To the rim I will weld a frame/support to which I will attach the panels. The wheel bearing and axle will easily support the weight of four panels (I'm building Will's Classic 400 Watt system) and the angle iron frame. The wheel bearing will allow transiting/tracking the sun. How you power the rotation/tracking I leave to your imagination (what I'm toying with would put off most people...it won't be electric). Working with steel is easy and a good surface prep and coat of paint will give years of protection. I will put dielectric insulators to protect from galvanic action between the aluminum frames of the solar panels and the steel angle iron supports (cut off pieces of HDPE from a plastic barrel or bucket). And excepting one's labor, it will be inexpensive ( if one is a good scrounger.. close on free).
Hope this helps,
Wiley
 
Ok so I made this 2 years ago. It's not perfect but it works good enough that I have not felt need to modify it. It rotates by hand and can be adjusted for angle. I just go out in the morning and afternoon and rotate it. I thought that since the power company started our property on fire it was only suitable to use their now defunct power pole as my power pole.
 

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I have a friend who recently sent me some pics of his setup. I don't know all the specs of it, but the pictures were cool. Maybe it'll give you some ideas? This was obviously on a much bigger scale than what I think you're talking about, but I think you could take form his setup and apply it to what you're looking to do.
 

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?IDEA! For active solar tracking, the solution to the single stress points of a pole mount would be to centre the entire array on a turntable or raised circular rail.
 
Ten90 said:
Quite the typo on my part! I am wanting to mount 4 panels.
I am thinking of something like this for a temporary set-up. The more I think about it, I am better to wait until we have the septic system placed, as the panels will be in front of them. It will make life easier to get machinery in. View attachment 1122
Click to expand...

This needs to use a ground anchor screw to secure these arrays to the ground. It doesn't take much wind to destroy the entire array.

Something like this:
Screenshot_20191016_163109_com.amazon.mShop.android.shopping.jpg

And a steel cable to attach the array to the ground anchor.
 
Wiley said:
If you are looking for ideas you might consider something along the lines of what I am planning.
I like working with "junk", recycling stuff that previously was used for something else. In the unit I'm planning (Will's "Classic 400 Watt") I want to be able to adjust both for angle to the sun as well as to be able to track the sun. My thoughts are to stand a trailer axle on end with the bottom end embedded in a slab of concrete (so this won't a mobile rig). The upright end will still have a rim on the end of the axle. To the rim I will weld a frame/support to which I will attach the panels. The wheel bearing and axle will easily support the weight of four panels (I'm building Will's Classic 400 Watt system) and the angle iron frame. The wheel bearing will allow transiting/tracking the sun. How you power the rotation/tracking I leave to your imagination (what I'm toying with would put off most people...it won't be electric). Working with steel is easy and a good surface prep and coat of paint will give years of protection. I will put dielectric insulators to protect from galvanic action between the aluminum frames of the solar panels and the steel angle iron supports (cut off pieces of HDPE from a plastic barrel or bucket). And excepting one's labor, it will be inexpensive ( if one is a good scrounger.. close on free).
Hope this helps,
Wiley
Click to expand...
Yes my thought too . Much easier and stronger to work with steel at first and work the bugs out. When you get it right I doubt you would bother with alloy anyway. There is another guy on here posted pics of what looked like a pretty decent attempt.
You just need a fixed pole. A piece of bigger pipe to cap that and build the support on . Then you make the array tiltable and the cap swivels. weld a bolt through the cap that crunches against the pole.
 
Renogy makes some sturdy aluminum pole mounts. $60 on eBay. Easily adjustable angle.
(That’s a 4” steel pole. Panel up 12’ to clear garage) zero movement in the wind.
55B68AAC-9A8A-42A0-BB15-3B3D24ECD6E3.jpeg1D933CB4-FDE0-4759-925E-4675C821B4F1.jpeg
 
Last edited:
NOTE: Be mindful when buying, the pole itself may not be included as part of the mounting apparatus, even though the mount is often pictured on a pole. Some of the eBay listings can be misleading.
 
Delta-V said:
NOTE: Be mindful when buying, the pole itself may not be included as part of the mounting apparatus, even though the mount is often pictured on a pole. Some of the eBay listings can be misleading.
Click to expand...

Correct that’s just a “pole mount” set up. The 14’ steel pole 4” diameter is not included. The Renogy listing specifies “pole not included.”?
 
Craig said:
Ok so I made this 2 years ago. It's not perfect but it works good enough that I have not felt need to modify it. It rotates by hand and can be adjusted for angle. I just go out in the morning and afternoon and rotate it. I thought that since the power company started our property on fire it was only suitable to use their now defunct power pole as my power pole.
Click to expand...

I'd cut that in the clear if I had to work something on that pole. FYI.
Hopefully it's out of service or private.
 
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