1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the mounting of photovoltaic panels on rooftops and other structures, and more particularly to hardware to facilitate the mounting of the panels.
2. Description of the Related Art
Photovoltaic (herein, “PV”) mounting grids are commonly used to mount PV panel arrays to building structures, ground mounted systems and a large variety of alternate configurations. In one common configuration, a rail and a cleat are mounted, for example to a rooftop of a home, and the panel arrays are mounted thereto.
In general the PV industry is accustomed to mounting each rail and cleat individually using various mechanical fasteners such as nuts, bolts and washers. Each connection point is carefully measured and set in place and manually tightened, typically using common tools such as wrenches, sockets, ratchets and screwdrivers. The conventional methods of installation generally consume many man-hours of installation labor and must be placed in precise locations to accommodate the specific PV panels supplied for the installation. This is a project that requires significant skill and precision.
If it becomes desirable or economical to replace the existing PV panels with a more technologically advanced system, the existing grid mount must, in general, be removed. This is either done in part or in whole to accommodate the newer panels. This operation in general will take as long as or longer than the original installation when conventional mounting systems are used. The need exists for an improved PV mounting system.