Patent ID: 11949032
Assignee: SUNPOWER CORPORATION
Field: Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H  Y | IPC H

Claim 11:
12. A photovoltaic (PV) assembly comprising:
a first row of a PV array;
a second row of a PV array adjacent to the first row, wherein the first and second rows each comprise:
a plurality of PV modules on a mounting structure, each PV module having a front side that faces the sun to collect solar radiation during normal operation and a back side opposite the front side, each PV module comprising:
a laminate encapsulating a plurality of solar cells,
a frame surrounding the laminate to define an outer edge of the PV module, the frame comprising:
an upper portion comprising a laminate-receiving channel and an upper surface feature at the outer edge of the PV module, and
a lower base portion comprising a lower surf ace feature at the outer edge of the PV module;

a plurality of spacing devices positioned above the mounting structure between the first and second row, each spacing device comprising:
a spacer body having a bowed structure defining a width between a first end of the bowed structure and a second end of the bowed structure opposite the first end, wherein the bowed structure of the spacer body of the spacing device forms a cavity between the first end and the second end, and wherein the spacing device comprises only a single crosspiece, wherein the crosspiece is a centrally curved outermost crosspiece with a curvature that is outward relative to the cavity,
a non-pivoting upper engagement feature on an outwardly curved portion of the first end of the bowed structure for non-pivotably engaging the upper surface feature of one of the plurality of PV modules in the first row of the PV array,
a non-pivoting lower engagement feature on an outwardly curved portion of the second end of the bowed structure for non-pivotably engaging the lower surface feature of the first PV module in the first row of the PV array, wherein the spacing device is symmetrical about an axis extending through a center of the bowed structure, through a center of the cavity, through a center of the single crosspiece and through a mid-point between the non-pivoting upper engagement feature on the outwardly curved portion of the first end of the bowed structure and the non-pivoting upper engagement feature on the outwardly curved portion of the second end of the bowed structure, and wherein a width of the spacing device from an end of the non-pivoting lower engagement feature to an end of the non-pivoting upper engagement feature is greater than the width between the first end of the bowed structure and the second end of the bowed structure along a direction from the end of the non-pivoting lower engagement feature to the end of the non-pivoting upper engagement feature, and
an abutting portion on the bowed structure for contacting the outer edge of one of the plurality of PV modules in the second row of the PV array, wherein the abutting portion comprises a curved feature located vertically between the lower engagement feature and the upper engagement feature;
wherein the width defined by the bowed structure of the spacing device sets a lateral gap between the first and second rows of the PV array.