A portable solar panel system and method includes a support structure, one or more solar panels mounted on the support structure, at least three wheels coupled to the support structure and rotatably supporting the support structure on a surface, a controller, a sunlight monitor coupled to the controller and a tracking drive system coupled to the controller and mechanically linked to at least one of the at least three wheels.

The invention relates to a holding device (1) for a solar panel (2) on a parapet (3) of a balcony, said device having at least the following components: —a connection arrangement (4) for connecting an element to be held, wherein the connection arrangement has at least one support (5, 6, 7, 8) for placing on a parapet; and —at least one transverse strut (9, 10) for bridging a parapet width, wherein the at least one transverse strut is connected to the connection arrangement and has at least one flange (12, 13) for placing on a parapet, wherein by means of a movement of the at least one flange towards the connection arrangement, the at least one flange and the at least one support press in opposite directions against the parapet. The invention disclosed relates to a holding device which allows for greater flexibility with regard to the structure of a balcony parapet.

A solar tracking system is provided and includes a solar array, a support structure configured to support the solar array, a base configured to rotatably support the support structure, and an articulation system configured to articulate the support structure relative to the base. The articulation system includes a gearbox that is coupled to the support structure and an actuator that is configured to extend and retract. The actuator includes a first end portion and a second, opposite end portion, wherein the first end portion is rotatably coupled to the base and the second end portion is coupled to the gearbox. Extension of the actuator causes the support structure to rotate about the base in a first direction and retraction of the actuator causes the support structure to rotate about the based in a second, opposite direction.

Various ways of creating polynomial interpolations in one, two and three dimensions using purely mechanical means are disclosed. Various arrangements of gears are disclosed that can constrain certain rotating elements to rotate equal to the average or difference of the rotation angles of other rotating elements. These arrangements are combined in various ways to create mechanical arrangements having a set of rotating elements that are constrained to be linear or polynomial functions in one or many dimensions. Various uses of mechanical polynomial interpolation are disclosed, including focusing rays of the sun onto a target.

A solar tracking system is provided and includes a solar array, a support structure configured to support the solar array, a base configured to rotatably support the support structure, and an articulation system configured to articulate the support structure relative to the base. The articulation system includes a gearbox that is coupled to the support structure and an actuator that is configured to extend and retract. The actuator includes a first end portion and a second, opposite end portion, wherein the first end portion is rotatably coupled to the base and the second end portion is coupled to the gearbox. Extension of the actuator causes the support structure to rotate about the base in a first direction and retraction of the actuator causes the support structure to rotate about the based in a second, opposite direction.

A solar heat collection device for a near-zero energy consumption community, including a heat collection frame, a heat collector, a center of gravity adjusting frame and a self-adaptive angle adjusting assembly, wherein the heat collector is rotatably disposed on the heat collection frame through the self-adaptive angle adjusting assembly; the center of gravity adjusting frame is fixed on one side of the bottom of the heat collector; the self-adaptive angle adjusting assembly includes a fixing cylinder, an angle adjusting cylinder, an inner cylinder and a damping adjusting assembly; the inner cylinder is coaxially fixed inside the angle adjusting cylinder; two ends of the angle adjusting cylinder are respectively coaxially and rotatably connected with the fixing cylinder; and the damping adjusting assembly is arranged between the angle adjusting cylinder and the fixing cylinder.

A solar power collection system includes one or more photovoltaic (PV) panel assemblies positioned by one or more tracker drive units. Each PV panel assembly includes at least one PV panel comprising PV cells that collect solar energy and a base attached to the PV panel. The base includes at least one curved rocker surface that presents a first convex surface in at least a first direction to a substrate. The base is positionable on the substrate with the first direction aligned with an east-west orientation. The tracker drive unit is mechanically coupled to the base via a selected one of: (i) a drive rod; (ii) a closed loop cable; (iii) a torsion mechanism to impart a selected amounting of rolling-rocking movement of the base across the substrate to position the PV panel to efficiently receive sunlight.

A node for a solar frame including an elongate portion having a channel extending through it in which a structural element is disposed or a solid elongate portion on to which a structural element is disposed. The node comprises a fin extending radially outward from the elongate portion where at least 5% of the volume of the fin is replaced by at least a single void extending essentially in parallel with the channel or the extrusion direction of the solid elongate portion. An apparatus for transmitting torque in a solar frame having structural elements and a support. A system for solar mirrors. A node for a solar frame. A method for connecting a structural element with a strut having a strut end piece of a solar mirror support frame. A method for producing a node for solar mirror frame.

The present invention relates to an automatic motion system by dilatation of a fluid, said system acting on elements of a compact solar collector with integrated storage tank, said solar collector having least a face exposed to the solar radiation and at least another face not facing the solar radiation, said solar collector comprising a plurality of primary tubes, for containing at least one primary heat carrier element adapted to the storage of thermal energy, and an external collector element arranged movable with respect to each primary conduit, adapted to overlap, at least partially, during its motion, in each primary conduit.

A method of installing a solar panel assembly that includes a first beam, a second beam and a third beam where the first and second beams are parallelly spaced and perpendicular to the third beam, and further includes a plurality of purlins, a semicircular ring fastened to the third beam, and a plurality of photovoltaic panels between adjacent ones of the plurality of purlins to form the solar panel assembly, the method comprising lifting the solar panel assembly and rotatably attaching it to a post by inserting a pin into a first bore in a flange extending from the third beam and into a second bore in the post, where the first and second bores are coaxial such that the solar panel assembly has a range of rotational motion about the pin, and fastening proximate and distal ends of the first and second beams to distal and proximate ends of adjacent solar panel assemblies.