Mounting for solar panels

Abstract

A mounting for solar panels has fixings which enable it to be easily attached to other mountings for a solar array and can be made of recycled plastic by vacuum forming.

1 - 16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . A mounting for solar panels, the mounting comprising:
 a frame having a front edge, a rear edge, a top surface with a recess for receiving at least one solar panel, and side fixing means so that a plurality of like frames can be attached to each other in a side-by-side arrangement, the frame sloping upwards from the front to the back so that a solar panel received in said recess is inclined with respect to a surface on which said frame is supported in use;   wherein: said front edge of said frame is narrower than said rear edge of said frame, and said rear edge is configured to cooperate with said surface to define an opening adjacent said surface;   whereby said front edge of one said frame is capable of being inserted into and through a said opening in another like frame so that said front edge of said one frame fits beneath and inside the rear edge of said other like frame and can be attached to said other like frame.   
     
     
         18 . A mounting according to  claim 17 , wherein the angle of slope of the mounting is 5 to 20 degrees. 
     
     
         19 . A mounting according to  claim 17 , wherein said top surface of the frame includes an aperture to enable equalization of air pressure above and below the frame. 
     
     
         20 . A mounting according to  claim 17 , wherein the recess in the top surface of the frame is configured to enable a standard solar panel to be fitted into the recess so that a top of the solar panel fitted in the recess is flush with the top surface of the mounting. 
     
     
         21 . A mounting according to  claim 17 , wherein the recess includes a space for accommodating a solar panel junction box on the underneath of a solar panel, and the recess further comprises holes to enable wiring to pass from the junction box to inside the mounting. 
     
     
         22 . A mounting according to  claim 17 , wherein the opening is partly defined by a lip in a rear face of the frame so that the front thinner end of another mounting can be inserted into the opening and fixed in place. 
     
     
         23 . A mounting according to  claim 17 , wherein a base of the mounting includes drainage channels to allow water to flow from under the mounting. 
     
     
         24 . A mounting according to  claim 17 , wherein the frame is made by vacuum forming of a plastics material. 
     
     
         25 . A solar module which comprises a mounting according to  claim 17  and a solar panel received in the recess of said mounting. 
     
     
         26 . A solar array comprising a plurality of solar modules according to  claim 25 , wherein respective mountings are connected together. 
     
     
         27 . A mounting for solar panels, the mounting comprising:
 a frame having a front edge, a rear edge, a top surface with a recess for receiving at least one solar panel, and side fixings that enable a plurality of like frames to be coupled together in a side-by-side arrangement, the frame sloping upwards from the front to the back so that a solar panel received in said recess is inclined with respect to a surface on which said frame is supported in use;   wherein: said front edge of said frame is narrower than said rear edge of said frame, and said rear edge includes a recessed outwardly projecting lip portion that cooperates with said surface to define an opening when said mounting is installed on said surface;   whereby said front edge of one said frame is capable of being inserted into and through a said opening in another like frame until a top surface of said one frame abuts against said lip portion of said other like frame so that said front edge of said one frame fits beneath and inside the rear edge of said other like frame, said lip portion being configured to enable said one frame to be attached to said other like frame.