Disclosed are a floating photovoltaic panel installation structure and a buoyancy body for the installation of the floating photovoltaic panel, which may have excellent strength and buoyancy performance even while having light-weight characteristics, and stably support a photovoltaic panel on the water even during the flowing of a water surface due to waves. In the floating photovoltaic panel installation structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, as the floating photovoltaic panel installation structure including at least one unit floating type structure for supporting a photovoltaic panel on the water, the unit floating type structure includes a plurality of buoyancy bodies arranged to be spaced apart from each other, a photovoltaic panel support structure supported on the plurality of buoyancy bodies, a triangular bracket coupled with a plurality of photovoltaic panel support structures, a ball joint hinge apparatus for connecting the plurality of photovoltaic panel support structures, and at least one photovoltaic panel supported by the photovoltaic panel support structure. At least one buoyancy body among the plurality of buoyancy bodies is made of a material in which Polyethylene and Waste Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics have been blended. For maintaining stable position and posture, the buoyancy body may include a cylindrical body having both side surfaces protruded convexly, and both side surfaces of the cylindrical body may be designed to have a shape in which a curvature radius of an upper area is smaller than a curvature radius of a lower area including a portion positioned below the water surface. In order to stably support the photovoltaic panel against the movement of waves, adjacent unit floating type structures may be connected in a joint structure by the ball joint hinge apparatus of a plastic material connected to the end portion of square tubes of the photovoltaic panel support structure.

A one-piece truss adapter for supporting single-axis trackers with truss foundations. A y-shaped structure has a pair of legs with an angularly adjustable connector for securely joining the one-piece adapter to a pair of driven screw anchors at different angular orientations. Each leg terminates in a ball-shaped connector that is received in a socket integral to a driving coupler at the head of each screw anchor. A retaining nut holds the connector in place to complete the angularly adjustable assembly.

A parabolic trough collector module comprising an absorber tube, a parabolic reflector focusing the solar radiation to the absorber tube and with a reflector surface, and at least one support de-vice on which the parabolic reflector is mounted so that it can pivot. The support device includes a support head projecting over the reflector surface in the vertical direction, on which the absorber tube is mounted by a linear bearing structure forming a linear guide.

A modular ballast system for supporting objects uses tubing such as pipes of appropriate size for the required ballast. Once in place, the empty pipes are filled with a watery mix (slurry) of sand, silt, gravel, soil, cement or other generally available material to generate a majority of the ballast weight. A two piece clamping mechanism provides fixed placement attachment points suitable for attachment by supported structures. The lower piece of the clamping mechanism sits under the ballast tubing and is designed to both support and disperse the anticipated weight of the objects with minimal impact on the surface beneath it. The upper piece of the clamping mechanism mates to the lower clamping piece and completes a full 360 degree collar around the ballast tubing to create a durable clamping mechanism that both captures the weight and position of the ballast tubing and prevents the ballast tubing from shifting.

A robotic coupling joint system and method are discussed herein, which may be utilized with a daylighting system or photovoltaic system to track sunlight. The system may provide a spherical joint allowing axial motion about two or more axes of the spherical joint. The joint comprises a first plate with four or more sockets, a second plate, a connector, and one or more spheres positioned between the first and second plates. The connector secures the sphere between the first and second plates. The system may also include a stand, an end effector coupled to the stand by the spherical joint, and a mobility system that is capable of actuating the end effector. The mobility system includes two or more linking elements coupled to the end effector, and a motor coupled to the linking elements to actuate the end effector to track sunlight.

A method and apparatus of a versatile holder and stand including a portable flat-panel mount, shelves as supporting means for storage conveniences and allowing multiple devices including energy generation devices and energy storage devices to be utilized at the same time, a low profile caster configuration enabling the position of a caster relative to a stand be able to be adjusted, supporting means having a number of curved columns to provide additional available spaces for supporting additional devices through various device holders or supporting means which include various types of device holding means that are capable of simultaneously holding multiple devices with different dimensions while cable management configurations being introduced separately or incorporated into these device holding means to enable cables used along with the portable devices held by any portions of the stand to be able to be placed and managed at any appropriate and desired locations and positions.

The invention relates to a device for the concentration of solar radiation in an absorber, comprising an inflatable concentrator cushion, which comprises a cover film element comprising a light-permeable entry window for coupling in solar radiation and a reflector film, which sub-divides the concentrator cushion into at least two hollow spaces, for the concentration of solar radiation in an absorber, comprising a pivoting apparatus, by means of which the concentrator cushion can be pivoted, in particular about its longitudinal axis, and comprising a retaining apparatus secured to the pivoting apparatus, for retaining the concentrator cushion, which retaining apparatus comprises an upper longitudinal member extending in the longitudinal direction of the concentrator cushion, for suspending the absorber, wherein the upper longitudinal member is arranged on a substantially air-tight closed upper passage opening of the concentrator cushion.

In an example, the solar tracker has a clamp assembly that is configured to pivot a torque tube. In an example, the assembly has a support structure configured as a frame having configured by a first anchoring region and a second anchoring region. In an example, the support structure is configured from a thickness of metal material. In an example, the support structure is configured in an upright manner, and has a major plane region. In an example, the assembly has a pivot device configured on the support structure and a torque tube suspending on the pivot device and aligned within an opening of the support and configured to be normal to the plane region. In an example, the torque tube is configured on the pivot device to move about an arc in a first direction or in a second direction such that the first direction is in a direction opposite to the second direction.

In an example, the present invention provides a solar tracker apparatus configured with an off-set drive assembly. In an example, the apparatus has an inner race structure, which has a cylindrical region coupled to a main body region, the main body comprising an off-set open region. The cylindrical region is an annular sleeve structure coupled to the main body region, which occupies the spatial region within the cylindrical region. In an example, the apparatus has an outer race structure coupled to enclose the inner race structure, configured to couple the inner race structure to allow the inner race structure to move in a rotational manner about a spatial arc region; and configured to allow the inner race structure to pivot about a region normal to a direction of the spatial arc region. In an example, the solar tracker has a clamp assembly that is configured to pivot a torque tube.

Solar tracking systems and methods that do not require external power are provided. The systems have a support surface for attachment to a solar collector device and a pivot member positioned therebeneath. One or more pistons are also positioned beneath the support surface to tilt the support surface around the pivot member when deployed. A reservoir is in fluid communication with each piston such that a pressure increase within the first reservoir automatically deploys the associated pistons, tilts the support surface about the pivot member, and thus positions the solar collector device to face the light source.