Solar Panel Base
Design of a Solar Panel Base.
This was the final Project of the Machine Design I course, made between 3 people using SolidWorks. The Project was to design a portable base for a solar panel of 500W.
​
The requirements for it were the following:
-Detachable and portable structure.
-Able to support two solar panels of 250W each.
-Angular movement of 120 degrees along the West-East rotation.
-Angular movement of 30 degrees along the North-South rotation.
-A 70” tall man must be able to easily fix the panels to the base.
-Could not be anchored to the floor.
-Construction materials must be easy to find in Venezuela.
Our final base design consisted of:
​
• An equilateral triangular base on each side as the main support.
​
• A hollow bar attached to the triangular base through a flat articulation, with a bolt and nut.
​
• Two flat articulations that allow the angular movement from left to right, to achieve the N-S inclination. It was estimated that each side could move 15 degrees to meet the full angle.
​
• And inside bar so that it can slide inside the big hollow bar. And these two would be adjusted with holes and a small support
​
• Attached to the smaller bar there is a welded cardan joint that unites the bar and the panel base and allows the base to achieve the W-E total rotation of 120 degrees.
​
• The 500W panel or two 250 panels can be placed in a holding base which has a square shape with a cross in the middle for better weight support.
​
• The triangular bases are united by two long and thin plates for better stability.