Solar paenl mounting?

Question

I have a collection of solar cells I want to turn into a panel. What would be good to mount them on? Plywood would expand and contract too much and wouldn't last long. Plexiglass is expensive, and sheet metal of some sort would probably rust, conducts electricity, and is expensive too.

Answer 1

Most use unirac, it is the best.  You get what you pay for.

Answer 2

Just fyi for anyone looking for affordable local solar panel installers in their area, this is a great resource: http://www.getsolar.com

Answer 3

Solar, photo voltaic panels wil absorb both light that causes generation of electricity, and heat.

The heat component is much greater than the electrical  component.

Those panels have to get rid of that  excess heat or they will cut back on electrical production.

If the panels are in a frame such that the frames themselves can be mounted above the surface of the roof, we can get rid of the excess heat by convection, air moving up between panel and roof.

Well, those panels should be kept below 25C for optimal electrical production. So that air will not be too hot for a wood and tar-paper surface if we actually manage to keep the panels below 25C.

But, if we fail to maintain enough air flow, we may build up unwelcome amounts of heat over the roof.

The maximum temperature might go to 100c if something is blocking the air flow. That would be too hot for plywood and tar paper. So, in the limiting case we need to have enough air space and extra metal separator (like heavy foil, to prevent overheating of the roof. (there would be air space above and below the heavy foil separator. Then we must be able to ensure enough air flow.

We could use the warm air to provide space heating, with just a bit of heat pumping.

Plexiglass is made of a polymer of estrogen, and when heated it puts estrogen into the air, so that would be a good reason to avoid it.

The main rule is we must limit heat build up, But as a fail safe we must not allow a lot of heat to build up close to the roof deck.

Answer 4

Aluminum,

Aluminum is not a ferric metal, so it won't rust. But it will oxidize, which results in a skin of aluminum oxide coating the metal, which protects it from further oxidation. This is why an aluminum can will take 10,000 years to disintegrate.