Flat Tile Solar Panels - Intervening Structure I

Abstract

An earth mount-enabled utility-scale solar photovoltaic array has plural rows of solar panels supported on the ground s to establish an earth orientation of the solar panels. Edge portions of the panels rest on a ground support area and provide mechanical support, and an end curb member abuts at least one edge of the arrangement. The panels are interconnected in at least one series-connected string extending in at least two rows so that the string has a total distance between terminal ends of the series connection less than a lengthwise dimension of the solar panels constituting the string, routed to reduce “home run” connections at the end of the string.

1 . A utility-scale photovoltaic array comprising modules wherein some of the modules have a contact region that
 rests on the ground   or   rests on a structure such that a region directly under the contact region does not contain free air.   
     
     
         2 . The array of  claim 1 , wherein
 the contact region rests on the structure at a contact surface,   the contact surface sits above a three-dimensional region between the contact surface and the ground directly beneath the contact surface,   the perimeter of the contact surface defines the vertical walls of the three-dimensional region,   and   the three-dimensional region only contains material from the structure or air from a region of air bordered by the structure on two sides.   
     
     
         3 . The array of  claim 2 , wherein the ground includes material naturally present at the site and material added to the site by human activity. 
     
     
         4 . The array of  claim 3 , wherein the ground is smoothed or flattened. 
     
     
         5 . The array of  claim 4 , wherein smoothed or flattened means smooth or flat enough that the height difference between corners of adjacent modules is small enough that a fully autonomous sweeping robot can sweep from one module onto another. 
     
     
         6 . The array of  claim 5 , wherein the ground orients a face of the module and supports the modules. 
     
     
         7 . The array of  claim 6  further comprising connectors between modules. 
     
     
         8 . The array of  claim 7 , wherein some of the connectors limit vertical module movement. 
     
     
         9 . The array of  claim 8  having contiguous modules. 
     
     
         10 . The array of  claim 9  having two or more rows of modules. 
     
     
         11 . The array of  claim 10  having 400 or more modules. 
     
     
         12 . The array of  claim 11 , wherein the connectors join modules at module edges or edge frames. 
     
     
         13 . The array of  claim 12 , wherein some of the connectors are between modules in two directions, some of the connectors form joints, and some of the joints are flexible. 
     
     
         14 . The array of  claim 13 , wherein some of the connectors join 2-4 modules. 
     
     
         15 . The array of  claim 14 , wherein some of the connectors are electrical bonding connecters. 
     
     
         16 . The array of  claim 15 , wherein some of the connectors are electrical interconnects, some of the electrical interconnects form a series-connected string, and the string comprises terminal string ends with a distance between the ends of less than a lengthwise module dimension. 
     
     
         17 . The array of  claim 16 , wherein the string has a path that starts with a first end, extends along a direction, returns along an opposite direction, and ends with a second end, and the path reduces or eliminates the length of home run connections. 
     
     
         18 . The array of  claim 17 , further comprising an inverter with an AC output, wherein
 the array has a DC output,   and   the DC: AC ratio is 1.2-1.9, 1.4-1.9, or 1.6-2.2.   
     
     
         19 . The array of  claim 18 , wherein the first and second terminal ends exit from the same array side. 
     
     
         20 . A utility-scale PV array comprising modules that have a contact region wherein the contact region rests on a structure at a contact surface, and the structure contains paths with a starting point on the contact surface and an ending point in the structure at ground level directly beneath the starting point for every point in the contact surface.