this is not new, but he is sharing the process which is more important than the "idea" itself. I am sure there are tons of us who were thinking on pergola style panels, but didn't know where to start. Well, here it is. Get started!!
Thank you! Definitely need to find a cheaper way to out up panels. The commercial mounts are ridiculous now. Some are nice for sure but like you said they cost more than the panels.
The ground mounts are part of the solar system, so if the government is offering incentives, your new sun shade that has solar panels on it qualifies for the incentives too.
Yes I have been considering this against my house. My roof faces East west. My walkout side basement faces South. I want to build 8’ tall to 12’ pitch that’s 39’ long. I’ve been trying to overbuild.
@@rodneyhunt I have a small porch with something like a wheel chair ramp attached for my old dogs legs. I might try to tie in to the 4x4 posts and ramp and cover up the ramp with a solar roof, like this. but bring it up higher than my house eaves so I can shoot over the house roof with the solar support rafters. Im thinking I can get 4 panels mounted in portrait, floating over my roof at the proper southern angel, since my roof line sits east to west. If I were to do it. I think Id be out for wood $150 for an 8 panel mounting system. Provided you had a wheel chair ramp and porch to tie into. Not saying it wont fall over. I'd have to see.
Rodney, I think this is a fantastic idea and appreciate your videos about DIY solar. This one is especially helpful for anyone that was thinking of building a pergola or other structure. Why NOT make some small modifications to the plan and include solar! Thank you again for taking the time to record, edit, and upload all the videos! I know it’s a lot of work and you should know that you are appreciated.
Now you are set up for agrivoltaics! You can simply grow vegetables in raised beds under your pergola. Now days with the intense heat, vegetables grow much better under shade. The vegetable plants transpire moisture under the solar panels keeping them more cool thusly making your panels more energy efficient. Something to consider. I'm doing that. Also the panels can partially provide electricity to maintain a battery and timer system to periodically water the plants. My system utilizes a rainwater catchment system. Good job, Sir.
@@rodneyhunt just a few videos on youtube, one of which is being done on a commercial scale, but yes I'm surprised also. It's for sure a thing, Especially now because for the last two years for me, the sun and hot summers were so hard on exposed gardens, just cooking my plants. This is a win win.
I have a carport that I was wanting to top with panels. I'm self taught when it comes to carpentry. I see you did a good job on the framing . M not sure what your spacing is between your 2x6 rafters. But since you are using purlins I think 3-4 feet is ok. I usually keep the spacing at 2 feet. It's the thousand of dollars in panels and controller, battery setup that I know nothing about. But it's a great idea . Good work. And your mic is awesome no wind noise, no background noises. You came in clear. 👍
I put up 33 bifacial panels on a steel pergola frame in 2017. This was my second personal 12kw installation, and my 4th or 5th overall design. (I've designed systems for people I know to install themselves.) Mine meets building and electrical codes. So I have a pretty good idea what I'm doing. Each corner has 4'x4'x3' of concrete. That's roughly 1.8 cubic yards of concrete per corner. For 1/3 of the panels I would expect roughly 0.6 yards of concrete per corner minimum. Besides support and stability, the weight keeps the panels from pulling the structure out in high wind. Angled panels are going to have significant lift if the wind comes from the back. For your use, I would use minimum 2.3' X 2.3' x 3' deep reinforced concrete with those metal mount plates embedded that hold the wood above the concrete... wood in concrete will rot a lot faster. Concrete and anchors are cheap compared to losing everything. You do really good work there overall. I am only suggesting you don't cut corners on concrete and don't screw around with rotting wood long term. I know it's too late for this structure, but next time a minor investment increase will take this from 10-15 life span to 30+ years for the structure. Nothing worse than buying something twice. This isn't criticism. My intent is to suggest a relatively small change someone could make to make a huge improvement on a good overall design.
Totally fair. The extra concrete and metal base embedded in the wood isn't much more cost or complication but has a ton more value. No criticism, just encouragement to go for it next time because that's a lot of work to not hold it down a bit more. Also, not expecting you to be able to do anything right away with that info, but I know that leaving a comment and replying is a good way to help. My hope was that someone else thinking about doing this might benefit from a little more material and an even stronger structure.
Care to share more info on your setup? Specifically the framing and how you kept it water tight? Also photos of the concrete posts would be good as well.
I can only assume based on the title of the video, that it will work! But mostly, I am excited and appreciative that you went through the work of thinking of and doing the experiment, to save the rest of us time lol
You absolutely nourished the way I will proceed on two different projects. One in a major urban area, the other in a vast rural setting, looking forward to viewing other posts, thanks
Even better would be earth anchors at 45 deg off of every corner, attached to the cross beams. Braces will keep it from racking, but it won't stop it from flying away.
lol This evening I had a doe with 2 fawns, 2 bunnies, a dog and a yard full of 8 week old chickens running around. Got 6 week old pullets in the shed and just pulled 16 chicks out of my incubator. Got any ideas about building a coop and run out of solar panels? 🤣 As for you mount I don't think you can beat that with a stick! Cheap enough and those panels are kickin!
Yeah this is a great idea and fits exactly what I need for a firewood cover and truck cover to park in. Will be attempting this soon thanks for posting!
I did this about 5yrs ago. I put some foam rubber strips in between. I welded up some thin ss sheet metal brackets so each connection mounts to the wood frame. Its a great wood shed and a spot for my lawn equipment.
@rodneyhunt it's been great but now they have some much stronger panels that I would like to swap them out with or just build a whole new aray. I used grid tie inverters so the whole set up was super simple. I bought a whole pallet of new discounted U.S. made panels for a song and sold 6 of them for a decent profit. I think my whole set up with permits was around $2500 which I've made back probably my first yr and half in electricity savings.
Another great project. I did one of your tilt mount PT build from your previous video and worked great. I am installing 2 of the brightmount in a few weeks and bought them with your code. Keep up the great work can’t wait to see what you do next.
I used 1.25" EMT for a frame over a 12 ft span. Mounted nine 550 W panels as a solar carport w/ 7 EMT "rafters". Two 10 ft EMT per rafter ($25 ea), plus ~$10 for connectors at both rafter ends (galv fence clamps, structural brace), so $420. One side attaches to my house rafters. Other side is 2 ft higher to shed rain into the house gutter and better angled to sun (faces SW). I "shingled" the panels for no leaks and catch drips between the panels (2 gaps) in U-slot polycarb clear roofing (strips cut) to the gutter. I bolted the panels together, like you, since the ends fell between EMT rafters (spaced to house rafters), but no riv-nuts just 1/4 SS bolts and nuts. If again, I'd use 1.5" EMT since mine seemed too springy with the 60 lb ea panels (bifacial, 2 glass sides), so I added offset wire rope underneath to support and keep the tubing straight. Perhaps another $100 for bolts and brackets to attach panels to EMT (cut and drilled angle aluminum). Like you, I didn't use any solar-specific mounts (too pricey). Panels were $99 ea (new, cl, slight damage), which was as cheap as metal roofing, so realized an inexpensive carport roof and got 7.7 kW solar power (5 more panels mounted elsewhere). Like you, I used an EG4 6000XP inverter w/ 5.1 kWh battery (smaller than recommended, but works for me). I'm considering a pergola roof by my pool with panels as roofing, to power my pool pump and may go with redwood for looks, plus wood allows a more flexible design. You should add diagonal bracing to your structure for horizontal wind loads in both directions.
Nice build. Attachement here in Florida to meet 150mph code, will require more hardware for the solar panels. I think it would make a great carport. Well done.
Great video! I think a lot of us are on the same page. And my phone can read my mind I have a slide incline to put a carport and was just thinking about using solar panels to cover it hopefully it will be done by Spring of 2025. My goal is to have a battery large enough to run my water heater constantly and WINDOW 10K BTU air conditioner😅 16hrs
Really enjoy your content, just stumbled across you today. I’m in the middle of setting up my Horse farm, and we are going to do 100% Solar right now. Our cabin that we put up to live in is finished. I did a simple EcoFlow Delta pro systemwith three 540 W panels in series. Our cabin is 600 ft.² and is wired for 120, and all of our appliances are 120 V. I’m going to be doing solar in all of our structures on the property for the horses, and our equipment.
I liked this video like the others! Good job! I like watching these types of videos because technology increases rapidly and you never know what’s going to be the next best thing coming out! Thanks for sharing!
I always leave a gap between the panels to accommodate thermal expansion and contraction. If they are locked together tight, the glass or cells could crack from the stress!
That's Awesome Rodney. Looks great and really putting out the power. Glad to see that you are now getting things from Signature Solar and others.... Jeff
Great video! I've just started dabbling in solar. Bought a Bluetti AC200L and got some panels arriving tomorrow. Currently working out whether to mount them on the south side of my house, or put them on top of my 3.5m x 3.5m gazebo
I thought FO SHO those first 2 panels were either going to shatter or pop the frames off lol I was like NOOOOO DONT DO IT😆 The pergola came out nice!!🤘
Hey thanks. Yeah the frame bent at the rivet nuts lol. Man I wanted that to work. I bet something that went the entire way thru the tube type frame it would work. I just didn’t have any idea and needed it done lol.
I built an internal frame to rigid up the panel frame. 1/8” aluminum bar stock an inch wide that I had to cut down to 13/16” to fit properly. I’m not joining panels together, but lifting individual panels 90° from vertical (alongside Taj-Ma-Haul during transit) and then lifting them 90-95° to horizontal+. They then produce the liquid juice *and* provide a shaded deck. This internal framing was key to helping reduce flexing, not eliminating it. I may add cross-bracing in the future.
I think its a neat design and way to do it. I'd worry about high wind conditions and it falling apart though. There is a reason these systems all need to be engineered to withstand all the uplift forces on the panels.
i asked a contractor how much it would cost to do this exact type of build, he wanted $6300 excluding the panels. Crazy what people are charging for these simply projects!
that's so true. very few people left that can actually build anything at all. only people I know of are the Mexicans standing in front of Lowe's and my dad but Dad's to old now to do much. @@hsew
AWESOME VID! Appreciate all of your time, effort, work, and money invested in everything! Your detail is GREAT! MUCH more detail than most DIY vids for anything, Great job! Looks great! Post build power readings are the best part always! Cool app too! New subscriber, liked! Watching your other vids now as well! Look forward to future vids! Love the links in the description too! You're making it VERY easy for us to build what you built! Woohoo! Would alos like to see power reading differences with white or even mirror reflective paneling placed under your pergola for the backlighting and how much power you can get out of those nice panels!
This is perfect timing for me. I have been trying to figure out a pergola setup. my system isn't making power during peak cost hours of 4-7 pm so I need to build a pergola in an area that will.
@@rodneyhunt Hey Rodney, I need some advice. since my peak demand charge hits when I am making very little solar I was thinking about a single big battery and inverter to discharge during peak. i don't want to send any extra to the grid as I am not set up for that. do you have any recommendations as far as what inverter would be ideal? my big central ac pulls a lot of amps and does not have a soft start. I was considering putting a 2 ton mini split in the main living area and turning the central off during peak.
Great video…only comment I’ll make is that you should use the ISC or the short circuit current and the VOC the open circuit voltage as your gauge when you’re determining your specs for your charge controller instead of the operating voltage and operating amps. But great video nonetheless.
Cool project, only other way to save is to shop ahead at a resale store or marketplace. We've build an entire barn for under $1K including the roofing metal.
its grate, i have solar pergola for 4+ years but you should increase front and back to 2x10 the minimum preferable 2 rows on each side.. and use Structural Lag Screw like 5 in. Star Drive Low Profile Washer Head RSS ... specialty if you going to spend time under it
That's a great idea! I have bracing on my other builds but just wanted to see what this looks like during storms. Have some wind today so we will see! Thanks
@@rodneyhunt a friend called me the morning after setting up a small gazebo he set up himself, it had fallen over during the night due to strong winds. We put a couple corner braces in and it was fine. His was only wood no material was lost, if you wait for yours to face serious wind you might lose a couple of panels.
Thanks for sharing Rodney- you're an inspiration. I'm thinking of doing something like this but without sinking the poles- rather bolting them using L brackets to mobile home cement pads, which are pretty heavy- in this way the structure is not a structure at all as it is bolted down. This also allows the possibility to move it in the future. Those seem like nice panels for the money- but I wouldn't want to mount them on top of a vehicle such as a travel trailer, 5th wheel, or motorhome.
Worked out well! To take advantage of the biracial, you could put some landscape timbers between the posts, add some weed barrier and a big load of white gravel. I'd love to be a recipient of another battery (and did buy all my stuff from SS) I'm getting the two V2 batteries from Current Connected simply because they offered free freight which is significant.
I'd probably just mount the mounting rails directly to the wood and then attach the panels to them as normal. Would cost more but you would have less in wood costs as you wouldn't need the cross section support as the solar railes would give that support. Nice project. I'm considering similar
nice pergola and reasonable materials cost. wouldn't add much to do some diagonal bracing, which i think is necessary to make it structurally sound and much more wind resistant.
Indeed have that on all others I have built at my house. May add if it looks necessary but this is a budget build test to see how it does. Will keep you updated and thanks
I think it works either way since I don’t have much land. But all relative to what everyone thinks alot of land is lol. Maybe your lot is really tight on space
Was originally going with another setup; similar to the one you have with the tilt; but after 5-6 hours of brainstorming and adding to HD cart; wife sees this video and says " we should do that one instead" lol.. I now have taken this idea and making it my own. the only difference would be the cross runners will be 2x6x16 since each of my panels is 7.6 feet in length and 3.8 in width. its going to run me 494$ + tax.
@rodneyhunt thanks for the reply. Just began this journey after trying for 10 years. Now things are more affordable. I have similar setups to you; but smaller scale all sitting in the living room waiting to piece it all together. Just bought an eg4 6000xp along with 10 bi facial panels of 535W and 2 48v server rack batteries. The 6000xp didn't come with the dongle; does that matter or could be fine without it?
This is very cool. I have no experience with solar and minimal experience in construction. I'm certainly not a structural engineer. Just wondering how difficult it would be to make the structure adjustable for finding the proper angle depending on the season. I'm sure that would raise the cost though. Also probably better that the panels aren't physically attached to each other. At first I thought that was a good idea but then wondered how much work it would be to replace a panel if need be. Since they're not attached I'm sure it's a much easier process now. Thanks for the very informative video. 👍😎
I before watching the rest of the video I think that this is going to be a good start however, I think it’s going to need some reinforcement modifications and definitely for someone who needs a snow load rating. There’s going to have to be some significant reinforcement modifications.
I would Dig and pour concrete columns 6” above ground and use an anchor to 6x6. The issue I see with ground installed 6x6 is that panels will last 50 years. Posts will not.
Until you get a different surface… you could get some aluminum radiant barrier under the bifacial panels… I am currently using some of the bubble wrap type… gives me over 5 extra watts vs the white concrete. The radiant barrier material is relatively cheap and lots of uses.
Good stuff ! I was thinking that a wooden Pergola 2 car Car Port with concrete driveway underneath and you could even park 2 shiny cars underneath would be awesome and the concrete and cars would reflect sunlight onto the Bifacial side of the panels to make that Bifacial thing happen. Take Care !
Great job Mr.Hunt! The rive-nut could be done alot better and in another configuration to have it sealed and water tight. The mount looks good just add the additional hardware for peace of mind. I agree a swear jar is needed 😅.
this is not new, but he is sharing the process which is more important than the "idea" itself. I am sure there are tons of us who were thinking on pergola style panels, but didn't know where to start. Well, here it is. Get started!!
Very true. Just trying to do it cheap to test if it will survive
@@rodneyhunt Sirius PV 415W Bifacial Solar Panel says Minimum purchase is set to 10 at the 200 price.
This will cost 10k, not cheap!
yes sir. solar is so cheap now, ground mounts are almost as expensive as the panels. this is smart
Thank you! Definitely need to find a cheaper way to out up panels. The commercial mounts are ridiculous now. Some are nice for sure but like you said they cost more than the panels.
The ground mounts are part of the solar system, so if the government is offering incentives, your new sun shade that has solar panels on it qualifies for the incentives too.
Yes I have been considering this against my house. My roof faces East west. My walkout side basement faces South. I want to build 8’ tall to 12’ pitch that’s 39’ long. I’ve been trying to overbuild.
@@Alphasig336 smart
@@rodneyhunt I have a small porch with something like a wheel chair ramp attached for my old dogs legs. I might try to tie in to the 4x4 posts and ramp and cover up the ramp with a solar roof, like this. but bring it up higher than my house eaves so I can shoot over the house roof with the solar support rafters. Im thinking I can get 4 panels mounted in portrait, floating over my roof at the proper southern angel, since my roof line sits east to west. If I were to do it. I think Id be out for wood $150 for an 8 panel mounting system. Provided you had a wheel chair ramp and porch to tie into. Not saying it wont fall over. I'd have to see.
Rodney, I think this is a fantastic idea and appreciate your videos about DIY solar. This one is especially helpful for anyone that was thinking of building a pergola or other structure. Why NOT make some small modifications to the plan and include solar! Thank you again for taking the time to record, edit, and upload all the videos! I know it’s a lot of work and you should know that you are appreciated.
Hey thanks! Appreciate the support!
Now you are set up for agrivoltaics! You can simply grow vegetables in raised beds under your pergola. Now days with the intense heat, vegetables grow much better under shade. The vegetable plants transpire moisture under the solar panels keeping them more cool thusly making your panels more energy efficient. Something to consider. I'm doing that. Also the panels can partially provide electricity to maintain a battery and timer system to periodically water the plants. My system utilizes a rainwater catchment system. Good job, Sir.
Hey nice idea! Never really heard of that.
@@rodneyhunt just a few videos on youtube, one of which is being done on a commercial scale, but yes I'm surprised also. It's for sure a thing, Especially now because for the last two years for me, the sun and hot summers were so hard on exposed gardens, just cooking my plants. This is a win win.
Actually tomatoes grow much better in the shade. Great idea
Just be careful. There are very toxic chemicals in many of those panels.
@@kevinroberts781 not really we use shade cloth in the tomato industry for temp control but field tomatos come in much faster and usually more yeild.
I have a carport that I was wanting to top with panels. I'm self taught when it comes to carpentry. I see you did a good job on the framing . M not sure what your spacing is between your 2x6 rafters. But since you are using purlins I think 3-4 feet is ok. I usually keep the spacing at 2 feet. It's the thousand of dollars in panels and controller, battery setup that I know nothing about. But it's a great idea . Good work. And your mic is awesome no wind noise, no background noises. You came in clear. 👍
Hey thanks! Appreciate that
it still amazes me that ypu do all thos by yourself. a helper would make this a lot easier process bit its cool you do it on ypur own
I put up 33 bifacial panels on a steel pergola frame in 2017. This was my second personal 12kw installation, and my 4th or 5th overall design. (I've designed systems for people I know to install themselves.)
Mine meets building and electrical codes. So I have a pretty good idea what I'm doing. Each corner has 4'x4'x3' of concrete. That's roughly 1.8 cubic yards of concrete per corner. For 1/3 of the panels I would expect roughly 0.6 yards of concrete per corner minimum.
Besides support and stability, the weight keeps the panels from pulling the structure out in high wind. Angled panels are going to have significant lift if the wind comes from the back.
For your use, I would use minimum 2.3' X 2.3' x 3' deep reinforced concrete with those metal mount plates embedded that hold the wood above the concrete... wood in concrete will rot a lot faster.
Concrete and anchors are cheap compared to losing everything. You do really good work there overall. I am only suggesting you don't cut corners on concrete and don't screw around with rotting wood long term.
I know it's too late for this structure, but next time a minor investment increase will take this from 10-15 life span to 30+ years for the structure. Nothing worse than buying something twice.
This isn't criticism. My intent is to suggest a relatively small change someone could make to make a huge improvement on a good overall design.
Thanks thats good info
Always like more ideas. This was just a test to make it cheap as my other builds are definitely better structurally
Totally fair. The extra concrete and metal base embedded in the wood isn't much more cost or complication but has a ton more value.
No criticism, just encouragement to go for it next time because that's a lot of work to not hold it down a bit more.
Also, not expecting you to be able to do anything right away with that info, but I know that leaving a comment and replying is a good way to help. My hope was that someone else thinking about doing this might benefit from a little more material and an even stronger structure.
Definitely works for me. Like I said in the video, something like I didn’t recommend it i think lol. Appreciate the comments
Care to share more info on your setup? Specifically the framing and how you kept it water tight? Also photos of the concrete posts would be good as well.
I love it Rodney, keep going with your DIY projects. I'm cheering you on for I'm getting a lot of inspiration from your videos.
Awesome! Thank you!
Thanks!
Thank you!
Awesome idea and innovation, you could've built the thing but thanks for all the extra work to record it on video to share with the rest of us!
Glad you liked it!
I can only assume based on the title of the video, that it will work! But mostly, I am excited and appreciative that you went through the work of thinking of and doing the experiment, to save the rest of us time lol
I appreciate the support! Glad you enjoyed it.
Nice job on the build! Gives me some ideas for a firewood shed or even a spot to part the tractor implements!
That’s sounds good! I got part of this build from your chicken coop build. Just went as minimal as possible! Thanks
You absolutely nourished the way I will proceed on two different projects. One in a major urban area, the other in a vast rural setting, looking forward to viewing other posts, thanks
Hey thanks
I'm rooting for ya, bro! It's disgusting that people might be hoping for you to fail!! You've got this!!!
Hey thanks! Appreciate the support
I suggest upper corner bracing. High wind day could bring something like this out of plumb!
It’s probably out of plum from the builder lol. But thanks for the tip!
Even better would be earth anchors at 45 deg off of every corner, attached to the cross beams. Braces will keep it from racking, but it won't stop it from flying away.
@@altosackWould leaving some spacing between panels help with wind resistance that it would be worth it.
LOVE IT , SO MANY NEED THIS. . IN NC.
Bam! Nc
I think we need a swear jar so we know what's really happening when the camera is off. 🤣🤣🤣
Lol. These animals will drive you crazy when recording
lol This evening I had a doe with 2 fawns, 2 bunnies, a dog and a yard full of 8 week old chickens running around. Got 6 week old pullets in the shed and just pulled 16 chicks out of my incubator. Got any ideas about building a coop and run out of solar panels? 🤣
As for you mount I don't think you can beat that with a stick! Cheap enough and those panels are kickin!
Add a coin every time you say "basically". 😂
Thanks for the video and for trying this before I did, basically. 😊
@@beebop9808 I do. Put it on wheels with a small motor and micro controller, and the chicken coop can automatically move the chickens to new grazing.
I just started watching ! “ You idea so far sounds great ! You will succeed ! Great idea thinking out of the box !
Welcome aboard!
Yeah this is a great idea and fits exactly what I need for a firewood cover and truck cover to park in. Will be attempting this soon thanks for posting!
Good idea!
Dude you got a cornfield in your backyard, no way I would go into that at night, great video, gave me lots of ideas for mounting my 20+ panels.
Glad you enjoyed! Thanks
I did this about 5yrs ago. I put some foam rubber strips in between. I welded up some thin ss sheet metal brackets so each connection mounts to the wood frame. Its a great wood shed and a spot for my lawn equipment.
Sounds like a good setup.
@rodneyhunt it's been great but now they have some much stronger panels that I would like to swap them out with or just build a whole new aray. I used grid tie inverters so the whole set up was super simple. I bought a whole pallet of new discounted U.S. made panels for a song and sold 6 of them for a decent profit. I think my whole set up with permits was around $2500 which I've made back probably my first yr and half in electricity savings.
@ That is awesome!
Great music and great video! This is exactly what I’ve been wanting to do in my backyard! Thank you😊
Awesome! Thank you!
Ok now this is DIY! Thank you for recording this. Have had an inclination to do the same and this is extremely helpful.
Thank you!
Another great project. I did one of your tilt mount PT build from your previous video and worked great. I am installing 2 of the brightmount in a few weeks and bought them with your code. Keep up the great work can’t wait to see what you do next.
Great to hear! Nice that you could use some ideas from my build to create more energy independence for yourself
I used 1.25" EMT for a frame over a 12 ft span. Mounted nine 550 W panels as a solar carport w/ 7 EMT "rafters". Two 10 ft EMT per rafter ($25 ea), plus ~$10 for connectors at both rafter ends (galv fence clamps, structural brace), so $420. One side attaches to my house rafters. Other side is 2 ft higher to shed rain into the house gutter and better angled to sun (faces SW). I "shingled" the panels for no leaks and catch drips between the panels (2 gaps) in U-slot polycarb clear roofing (strips cut) to the gutter. I bolted the panels together, like you, since the ends fell between EMT rafters (spaced to house rafters), but no riv-nuts just 1/4 SS bolts and nuts. If again, I'd use 1.5" EMT since mine seemed too springy with the 60 lb ea panels (bifacial, 2 glass sides), so I added offset wire rope underneath to support and keep the tubing straight. Perhaps another $100 for bolts and brackets to attach panels to EMT (cut and drilled angle aluminum). Like you, I didn't use any solar-specific mounts (too pricey).
Panels were $99 ea (new, cl, slight damage), which was as cheap as metal roofing, so realized an inexpensive carport roof and got 7.7 kW solar power (5 more panels mounted elsewhere). Like you, I used an EG4 6000XP inverter w/ 5.1 kWh battery (smaller than recommended, but works for me).
I'm considering a pergola roof by my pool with panels as roofing, to power my pool pump and may go with redwood for looks, plus wood allows a more flexible design. You should add diagonal bracing to your structure for horizontal wind loads in both directions.
Nice! 👍
EMT isn't structural. If you're going to use conduit in that manner, I can highly recommend Rigid / IMC. The PSI strength is much stronger.
Nice build. Attachement here in Florida to meet 150mph code, will require more hardware for the solar panels. I think it would make a great carport.
Well done.
Yeah definitely need more for your situation!
You can plant some poplar trees for windbreaks, they grow 5-8 feet a year so they only take a couple years to be a good windbreak.
Nice! I will probably kill those lol. Everything I plant doesn’t work out well usually. Will look into that
FIRST RESPECT for building INNOVATIVE things!
I appreciate that! Thank you!
This is Lawrence Fishburn's lesser known Brother Leo.
Lol 😂
Great video! I think a lot of us are on the same page. And my phone can read my mind I have a slide incline to put a carport and was just thinking about using solar panels to cover it hopefully it will be done by Spring of 2025. My goal is to have a battery large enough to run my water heater constantly and WINDOW 10K BTU air conditioner😅 16hrs
What if I told you….you can get energy from the sun…for free?
Really enjoy your content, just stumbled across you today. I’m in the middle of setting up my Horse farm, and we are going to do 100% Solar right now. Our cabin that we put up to live in is finished. I did a simple EcoFlow Delta pro systemwith three 540 W panels in series. Our cabin is 600 ft.² and is wired for 120, and all of our appliances are 120 V. I’m going to be doing solar in all of our structures on the property for the horses, and our equipment.
Nice! That sounds like something I hope to do one day. Off grid type homestead
I liked this video like the others! Good job! I like watching these types of videos because technology increases rapidly and you never know what’s going to be the next best thing coming out! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you very much! Appreciate the support!
Dude, thats a great idea, I can do that on my patio cover! Great video!
Go for it!
One of my favorite videos in a while!
Hey I appreciate that! Hope it helps you with some ideas
This turned out really good. Nice work, Rodney!
Hey Peyton thanks. People seem to like it so far. Sirius panels are doing great since install. More updates to come
I always leave a gap between the panels to accommodate thermal expansion and contraction. If they are locked together tight, the glass or cells could crack from the stress!
Possible for sure! But I have seen many like this before without any problems so a risk I am willing to take.
Great idea man. Real nice, ground mounts are insane now too
They are!
Great idea! I'm gonna build something similar but on a smaller scale over my back deck. I learned some good tips. Thanks!
Glad it was helpful!
That's Awesome Rodney. Looks great and really putting out the power. Glad to see that you are now getting things from Signature Solar and others.... Jeff
Right on! Thanks. Will do more testing with this setup soon!
Makes total sense to integrate solar panels as a roof for a building / pergola structure... if putting up panels, would be STUPID not to.
Hey thanks! 👍
Not crazy, like it or not, you're an engineer.
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First time coming across your videos! Subbed and liked great work man!
Welcome aboard!
Great video Rodney! I might try it myself.
Go for it!
My husband and I were just talking about doing something similar, but make it in to a carport.
Good idea! 👍
you have so many excellent ideas Rodney. Thanks for sharing
Hey thank you! Appreciate the support as always
I am impressed! Great work.
Thank you very much!
Great video! I've just started dabbling in solar. Bought a Bluetti AC200L and got some panels arriving tomorrow. Currently working out whether to mount them on the south side of my house, or put them on top of my 3.5m x 3.5m gazebo
You can do it! Sounds like a good start
I thought FO SHO those first 2 panels were either going to shatter or pop the frames off lol I was like NOOOOO DONT DO IT😆 The pergola came out nice!!🤘
Hey thanks. Yeah the frame bent at the rivet nuts lol. Man I wanted that to work. I bet something that went the entire way thru the tube type frame it would work. I just didn’t have any idea and needed it done lol.
Great job and nice build! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
Looks great. You should triple 2x6 or 2x8 the beams so they can carry a snow load. Its so short of a cross span that double may work though.
Not much snow here so should not be a problem.
I built an internal frame to rigid up the panel frame. 1/8” aluminum bar stock an inch wide that I had to cut down to 13/16” to fit properly.
I’m not joining panels together, but lifting individual panels 90° from vertical (alongside Taj-Ma-Haul during transit) and then lifting them 90-95° to horizontal+.
They then produce the liquid juice *and* provide a shaded deck.
This internal framing was key to helping reduce flexing, not eliminating it. I may add cross-bracing in the future.
Oh sounds interesting. Thanks
I think its a neat design and way to do it. I'd worry about high wind conditions and it falling apart though. There is a reason these systems all need to be engineered to withstand all the uplift forces on the panels.
We will see. Thanks
i asked a contractor how much it would cost to do this exact type of build, he wanted $6300 excluding the panels. Crazy what people are charging for these simply projects!
Indeed! Wow
It’s because nobody knows how to build anything anymore. Or they’re too lazy to learn how. Or they want it to be somebody else’s liability.
that's so true. very few people left that can actually build anything at all. only people I know of are the Mexicans standing in front of Lowe's and my dad but Dad's to old now to do much. @@hsew
As always.... Great Job.... keep em coming!
Thanks! 👍
Always appreciate you sharing your work. Thank you very much.
I appreciate that! Thank you for your support!
This is a great idea. I am definitely going to try to copy some tips from it. Thank you!
You are so welcome! Thats great
AWESOME VID! Appreciate all of your time, effort, work, and money invested in everything! Your detail is GREAT! MUCH more detail than most DIY vids for anything, Great job! Looks great! Post build power readings are the best part always! Cool app too! New subscriber, liked! Watching your other vids now as well! Look forward to future vids! Love the links in the description too! You're making it VERY easy for us to build what you built! Woohoo! Would alos like to see power reading differences with white or even mirror reflective paneling placed under your pergola for the backlighting and how much power you can get out of those nice panels!
Good ideas!
Hey Rodney, nice budget alternative built and great channel, just subscribed!
Thanks for the sub! 👍
@@rodneyhunt Yes sir, you are welcome, God bless!
The higher the socks, the downer the foo 🙌
Lol
This is perfect timing for me. I have been trying to figure out a pergola setup. my system isn't making power during peak cost hours of 4-7 pm so I need to build a pergola in an area that will.
You can do it!
@@rodneyhunt Hey Rodney, I need some advice. since my peak demand charge hits when I am making very little solar I was thinking about a single big battery and inverter to discharge during peak. i don't want to send any extra to the grid as I am not set up for that. do you have any recommendations as far as what inverter would be ideal? my big central ac pulls a lot of amps and does not have a soft start. I was considering putting a 2 ton mini split in the main living area and turning the central off during peak.
the decking board will bend over a few months. I tried it, 2x4 on edge worked.
Good to know. Will keep an eye on it!
You are a gem, sir.
Wow, thanks! Appreciate the support
“More power to ya.” Lol 😜😏🤭⚡️☀️
Bam! 💥
Nice build Rodney! Looks like my Solar Shed roof 😂👍
Nice! Is that on your channel?
@@rodneyhunt Yep, I think I'm gonna do a big ground mount that way but low to the ground. I have 140 panels to put up...
Wow! That’s alot lol. But yeah lower is easier for sure
Great video…only comment I’ll make is that you should use the ISC or the short circuit current and the VOC the open circuit voltage as your gauge when you’re determining your specs for your charge controller instead of the operating voltage and operating amps. But great video nonetheless.
Cool project, only other way to save is to shop ahead at a resale store or marketplace. We've build an entire barn for under $1K including the roofing metal.
Good ideas! Thanks
Far,far better then the massive commercial solar fieds
Thank you
I think you did great and it appears to be viable to way to rack up panels.
Hey thanks. I agree!
Wonderful project... Perhaps you can put some white rock on the ground and a white fence on one side for more bifacial gains.
Good idea!
Great idea, rooftop installation is expensive, grid tie is expensive.
Best savings is AC peak hours, best emergency coverage is a refrigerator
Indeed! Thanks
its grate, i have solar pergola for 4+ years but you should increase front and back to 2x10 the minimum preferable 2 rows on each side..
and use Structural Lag Screw like 5 in. Star Drive Low Profile Washer Head RSS ... specialty if you going to spend time under it
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Love it. Just thinking about some short corner braces to strengthen it against winds.
That's a great idea! I have bracing on my other builds but just wanted to see what this looks like during storms. Have some wind today so we will see! Thanks
@@rodneyhunt a friend called me the morning after setting up a small gazebo he set up himself, it had fallen over during the night due to strong winds. We put a couple corner braces in and it was fine. His was only wood no material was lost, if you wait for yours to face serious wind you might lose a couple of panels.
Thanks for sharing Rodney- you're an inspiration. I'm thinking of doing something like this but without sinking the poles- rather bolting them using L brackets to mobile home cement pads, which are pretty heavy- in this way the structure is not a structure at all as it is bolted down. This also allows the possibility to move it in the future. Those seem like nice panels for the money- but I wouldn't want to mount them on top of a vehicle such as a travel trailer, 5th wheel, or motorhome.
I love hearing everybody’s ideas on ground mount builds. Sounds like a good idea
Good Job Sir...
thank you
Well thought out. Good job.
Thank you. Really appreciate that!
Worked out well! To take advantage of the biracial, you could put some landscape timbers between the posts, add some weed barrier and a big load of white gravel.
I'd love to be a recipient of another battery (and did buy all my stuff from SS) I'm getting the two V2 batteries from Current Connected simply because they offered free freight which is significant.
Good Idea! Thanks
Bi FACIAL, not racial! Shoulda checked spellcheck!
Lol. I understood what happened. It happens to me all the time with spellcheck
@@bobcole3852(Psst … there’s an edit feature on UA-cam if you’re interested.)
I'd probably just mount the mounting rails directly to the wood and then attach the panels to them as normal. Would cost more but you would have less in wood costs as you wouldn't need the cross section support as the solar railes would give that support. Nice project. I'm considering similar
Good idea! Just wanted to test something different this time. Thanks
nice pergola and reasonable materials cost. wouldn't add much to do some diagonal bracing, which i think is necessary to make it structurally sound and much more wind resistant.
Indeed have that on all others I have built at my house. May add if it looks necessary but this is a budget build test to see how it does. Will keep you updated and thanks
This winter I am going to build a 30-40' version for car parking. And to power up a heat pump system, free heat & cooling as needed.
Nice! 👍
I love this idea!
Thanks
It will work with the fasteners
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Nice job I did basically the same but I used 1-1/2 ngle iron and 1-1/4 pipe . If I had that back yard at the back I would have some wind turbines.
Nice! 👍
That's really cool well done.
Thank you!
Dude, You are definitely crazy for trying a ground mount solar panel system, But I love your project and making me want to try my own project.
Go for it! Thanks
If you have lot of land this works good.
I think it works either way since I don’t have much land. But all relative to what everyone thinks alot of land is lol. Maybe your lot is really tight on space
Was originally going with another setup; similar to the one you have with the tilt; but after 5-6 hours of brainstorming and adding to HD cart; wife sees this video and says " we should do that one instead" lol.. I now have taken this idea and making it my own. the only difference would be the cross runners will be 2x6x16 since each of my panels is 7.6 feet in length and 3.8 in width. its going to run me 494$ + tax.
Nice! Like I said this was just to see how cheap I could do it. But beefing it up a bit will always help. It is still standing and doing good though.
@rodneyhunt thanks for the reply. Just began this journey after trying for 10 years. Now things are more affordable. I have similar setups to you; but smaller scale all sitting in the living room waiting to piece it all together.
Just bought an eg4 6000xp along with 10 bi facial panels of 535W and 2 48v server rack batteries.
The 6000xp didn't come with the dongle; does that matter or could be fine without it?
Rewatched your build.Awesome info! TY!
Thank you for watching! Was a fun experiment
I think it should work, however you'll need to put sealer in-between if you want the water to not leak through underneath.
Edit: I was wrong 😢
So was I lol. Thanks
You will have a little gap between the panels due to the rib nut. Its like putting a washer between them.
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maybe some aluminum angle and self taping screws around the top amd bottom might firm it up
Nice job buddy! Will
Last a long time too
Hope so! Thanks
This is very cool. I have no experience with solar and minimal experience in construction. I'm certainly not a structural engineer. Just wondering how difficult it would be to make the structure adjustable for finding the proper angle depending on the season. I'm sure that would raise the cost though. Also probably better that the panels aren't physically attached to each other. At first I thought that was a good idea but then wondered how much work it would be to replace a panel if need be. Since they're not attached I'm sure it's a much easier process now. Thanks for the very informative video. 👍😎
Hey thanks!
Really cool. Thanks for the share.
Thanks for watching!
I before watching the rest of the video I think that this is going to be a good start however, I think it’s going to need some reinforcement modifications and definitely for someone who needs a snow load rating. There’s going to have to be some significant reinforcement modifications.
Hey thanks. Good call
I think that you are to something. I like the idea. Thank you for your video.
Thank you too!
Good job Sir!
Many many thanks
I would Dig and pour concrete columns 6” above ground and use an anchor to 6x6. The issue I see with ground installed 6x6 is that panels will last 50 years. Posts will not.
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That is a good build, sir.
Thank you! Appreciate that
Until you get a different surface… you could get some aluminum radiant barrier under the bifacial panels… I am currently using some of the bubble wrap type… gives me over 5 extra watts vs the white concrete. The radiant barrier material is relatively cheap and lots of uses.
Nice idea!
Good stuff ! I was thinking that a wooden Pergola 2 car Car Port with concrete driveway underneath and you could even park 2 shiny cars underneath would be awesome and the concrete and cars would reflect sunlight onto the Bifacial side of the panels to make that Bifacial thing happen. Take Care !
That would work!
Great job Mr.Hunt! The rive-nut could be done alot better and in another configuration to have it sealed and water tight. The mount looks good just add the additional hardware for peace of mind. I agree a swear jar is needed 😅.
Hey thanks