Abstract:
A self-contained structural assembly wherein the roof is exclusively formed by a flat plate type, solar thermal panel (STP) designed to heat water, having a transparent glazing. The STP is designed with lateral riser tubes as the flow path of the heat transfer fluid. The STP includes header tubes that are configured to protrude out the back of the STP. A shed having at least four walls that form the frame upon which the STP rests.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The invention relates to a solar collector and a building including a solar collector as the roof. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    In recent years, the use of alternate energy sources, such as solar energy has attracted greater interest. Solar collectors absorb heat from the sun and transfer the heat to a working fluid, normally water or glycol. Solar water heating systems include components that collect the solar heat, store the heat, and deliver the heat to where it is needed. Developments of solar collectors have previously included a mounting design for the collector to be attached to the roof of a building where the thermal energy is intended to be used. Hence, solar collectors are commonly mounted to existing roofing structure. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,201,193 to Ronc; U.S. Pat. No. 4,178,912 to Felter; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,237,861 to Fayard et al. Solar collectors mounted on an existing roof structure commonly project from the roof or wall surface and are supported by the structural components of the roof or the wall. In existing solar collectors, the heat exchange inlet and the heat exchange outlet for the heat transfer structure or absorber plate as referred to in the industry, extends directly through the frame wall. There are several reasons solar water heating is not being widely adopted. The cost of installation is not justified and the current type of installation requires mounting holes in the roof for structural support as well as penetrations for the fluid pipes. The fluid pipes transfer the solar heated water or heat exchange fluid to the potable hot water, point of use within the building. These penetrations commonly create potential for leaks that can result in sheet rock or other interior, finished wall surface damage. There are also safety drawbacks because roofing contractors usually do not have the expertise to address plumbing issues relating to mounting the collector on the roof and plumbers usually do not have the expertise and as such do not feel safe to perform work on steep pitch sloping roof decks. Likewise, they are not practiced on how to address roofing issues relating to the water proofing of the impervious roof membrane at the penetration points. 
         [0003]    Alternative solar collector mounting strategies are needed that can serve as a total roof structure to address safety concerns and eliminate the need for existing structure, the inconvenience of conventional mounting techniques and the potential for damage to the dwelling structure. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    The present invention provides a solution to solar collector design and the attendant mounting techniques that commonly require the use of underlying structural components unrelated to the collection of solar energy. The invention is a solar collector roof for a building that provides solar heated water without the need to mount solar panels on the roof structure of the dwelling for which the solar heated water is being supplied. In one possible configuration, and by non-limiting example, the solar collector roof of a building is a free standing adjunct to an existing dwelling structure. It specifically provides the option for a solar collector, connected through an umbilical plumbing line to provide solar heated water to the adjacent dwelling structure. The solar collector roof of the adjunct structure is normally oriented in a southerly orientation in North America. Since a north facing collector would be of little or no use in terms of solar gain, the adjunct structure will feature a shed configuration of the solar panel which is the roof. 
         [0005]    One aspect is a building that includes a plurality of walls forming an inside area and a roof over the inside area supported by the plurality of walls. The roof is a solar collector. The solar collector includes a back plate, an insulative layer, and a sunlight absorber provided for absorbing solar radiation and transferring heat. The solar collector further includes a glazing material that allows for transmission of sunlight and a heat transfer structure. The heat transfer structure is provided in direct contact with the sunlight absorber and the heat transfer structure is positioned between the insulative layer and the glazing material. The construction of the heat transfer structure includes a first header tube, a second header tube, and a plurality of riser tubes extending between the first header tube and the second header tube. The heat transfer structure is constructed for transporting a heat exchange medium there through. The solar collector also includes a frame structure for holding the solar collector together. The solar collector is installed at an angle so that one of the header tubes is provided above the other of the header tubes. The solar collector includes a heat exchange medium inlet and a heat exchange medium outlet. The heat exchange medium inlet and the heat exchange medium outlet extend through the back plate which ordinarily is facing the roof. 
         [0006]    Another aspect is a solar collector that includes a frame construction having a back plate, a glazing material, and a frame structure where the frame construction forms an interior region. The solar collector further includes an insulative layer provided within the interior region, a sunlight absorber provided for absorbing solar radiation and transferring heat. The sunlight absorber provided within the interior region. The solar collector includes a heat transfer structure provided in a thermally conductive contact with the sunlight absorber and the heat transfer structure is positioned between the insulative layer and the glazing material. The heat transfer structure includes a first header tube, a second header tube, and a plurality of riser tubes extending between the first header tube and the second header tube. The heat transfer structure is constructed for transporting a heat exchange medium there through and the heat transfer structure is provided within the interior region. The solar collector includes a heat exchange medium inlet and a heat exchange medium outlet, and the heat exchange medium inlet and the heat exchange medium outlet extend through the back plate. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is perspective view of an example of a solar collector roof on a shed in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is schematic illustration of the solar collector shown in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a heat transfer structure of the solar collector shown in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the solar collector of  FIG. 1  showing an elbow attachment. 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the solar collector roof shown in  FIG. 1  on a greenhouse shed in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure. 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of an example of a support base for a building in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0013]    Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary aspects of the present disclosure that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like structure. 
         [0014]    Terms such as “top,” “bottom,” “left,” “right,” etc. are sometimes used in this disclosure and may also be used in the appended claims. These terms are meant to serve as a frame of reference for the accompanying drawings, and to denote an orientation of a portion or element of the solar collector or shed when the portion or element is in the assembled configuration shown in the drawings, and when the portion or element is properly configured for use. The terms are not intended to describe the orientation of the portion or element when in a pre-assembled or storage configuration, such as when in the original packaging. 
         [0015]    Referring now to  FIG. 1 , a solar collector  100  is shown mounted on a building, such as, but not limited to, a shed  200 . It is understood that the shed  200  depicted can vary and as such, is only representative. In this example, the roof of the shed  200  is exclusively formed by the solar collector  100 . In other words, the solar collector  100  is mounted as the roof of the shed  200  without any additional roofing structure needed (i.e. rafters, troughs, studs etc.). In other embodiments, the mounting arrangement and configuration of solar collector  100  can vary. The solar collector  100  is illustrated and described in more detail with reference to  FIG. 2 . 
         [0016]    The shed  200  includes a plurality of sides  202 . The plurality of sides  202  are arranged and configured to attach together using a fastener, such as, but not limited to, a bolt  206  to form an interior space  208 . A It is understood that other fasteners may be used, for example, a set screw, a threaded fastener, a thumbscrew, a pin, a dowel, a latch, a collet, and the like. In other embodiments, the plurality of sides  202  can be attached by pressure fitting nails, rods or pegs into the construction. 
         [0017]      FIG. 2  is a schematic view of the solar collector  100 . In this example, the solar collector  100  includes a glazing material  102 , a heat transfer structure  104 , a sunlight absorber  106 , insulative layer  108 , a back plate  110 , and a frame structure  112 . The solar collector  100  is a flat plate type, solar thermal panel designed to heat an aqueous fluid and transfer the solar thermal energy to a pre-existing storage and/or hot water delivery system integral to an existing dwelling. The solar collector  100  includes a heat exchange medium inlet and a heat exchange medium outlet point of egress and ingress that extend through the back plate  110  as opposed to the conventional manner through a side wall of the frame structure  112  of the solar collector  100 . 
         [0018]    The glazing material  102  can be a high temperature polymeric material or tempered glass. The glazing material  102  allows for transmission of sunlight. One example of a polymeric material is a polycarbonate. It is understood that other polymer based materials may be used. The glazing material  102  has a transmissivity factor relative to solar radiation of 90%+. Structurally, it is thick enough to add rigidity to the frame structure. It also will reduce reflectivity to enhance transmittance of solar radiation. The glazing material  102  can be about ⅛ inch or 5/32 inch thick. Traditionally low iron content, tempered glass is always used on intermediate temperature range flat plat collectors. In order to reduce weight and potential breakage associated with glass, one example of an alternative glazing material is ¼ inch thick polycarbonate sheet material or another would be polycarbonate twinwall, such as, Thermoclear from Dow-Corning Corp®. 
         [0019]    The heat transfer structure  104  as shown in  FIG. 3  includes a configuration of header tubes  114  and riser tubes  116 . The heat transfer structure  104  can be direct or indirect in nature as well as passive or active. Unlike a traditional heat transfer structure, in this example the riser tubes  116  run in a transverse orientation to the solar collector  100 . The header tubes  114  run longitudinally the length of the solar collector  100 . The heat transfer structure  104  is associated with the sunlight absorber  106  and is separated by an air gap from the glazing material  102 . 
         [0020]    As shown, the solar collector  100  is depicted as a box-like rectangular enclosure having two long sides  101  and two short sides  103 . The solar collector  100  includes a heat transfer structure  104  having two long sides and two short sides. The header tubes  114  run parallel to the two long sides  101  and the riser tubes  116  run parallel to the two short sides  103 . The solar panel  100  is arranged in such a manner that the heat transfer medium enters the header tubes  114  from a lower elevation and rises to a higher elevation while filling the riser tubes  116  across the solar panel  100 . The riser tubes  116  are in direct connection with the sunlight absorber  106  having a surface treatment intended to reduce emissivity of the thermal energy being absorbed. This arrangement and configuration provides for a pitched roof that is made exclusively from the solar collector  100 . 
         [0021]    The header tubes  114  and the riser tubes  116  of the solar collector  100  can be any length. In other embodiments, the size of the solar collector  100  is governed by the standard sizes of the tempered glass sheet stock. The lengths of the header tubes  114  and the riser tubes  116  may have various configurations. In this example, the header tubes  114  are about 8 ft. to 12 ft. long and the riser tubes  116  are about 3 ft. to about 6 ft. long. 
         [0022]    In traditional heat transfer structures, the riser tubes  116  are in alignment with the longest dimension of the frame structure  112  in  FIG. 3 . The weight of the heat transfer fluid, normally aqueous based has a sufficient specific gravity that can cause sagging of soft copper metal overtime in the 8 ft. to 12 ft. riser tubes. This can trap the heat transfer fluid and if the design is intend to drainback when heat transfer has stopped the water normally used in such systems will have the potential to freeze in the riser tube and ultimately cause bursting. The shorter riser tube configuration of the heat transfer structure  104  helps to eliminate the effects of gravity on the structure as the orientation of the riser tubes  116  is changed. The heat transfer structure  104  minimizes the potential of the riser tubes  116  to create a point of failure associated with freezing conditions. 
         [0023]    In this example, a first header tube  118 , a second header tube  120 , and the riser tubes  116  are shown. The riser tubes  116  are arranged so that when the solar collector  100  is mounted at an angle as a shed roof, the second header tube  120  is in a horizontal orientation to the ground and in an elevated orientation above the first header tube  118 . In other embodiments, the arrangement and configuration of the header tubes  114  and the riser tubes  116  may vary. The header and riser tubes  114 ,  116  can be constructed from any metal, such as but not limited to, copper, steel, iron, aluminum, titanium, etc. In this example, the header tubes  114  are constructed from copper. The riser tubes  116  can be brazed into the header tubes  114 . The heat transfer structure  104  can be treated with a sunlight absorbing electroplate or paint type coating. The sunlight absorber  106  absorbs sunlight and transfers heat to the riser tubes  116  of the heat transfer structure  104  to the aqueous fluid from a thermal storage tank (not shown) circulating through the riser tubes  116  and header tubes  114 . The surface of the sunlight absorber  106  is coated or designed to reduce the reflection or emissivity of the radiant energy striking the sunlight absorber  106 . 
         [0024]    In this example, a heat exchange medium enters the heat transfer structure  104  through an inlet of the first header tube  118  at a lower elevation. The heat exchange medium can enter at either the right side  124  or the left side  126  of the first header tube  118 . The heat exchange medium fills the riser tubes  116  uniformly across the solar collector  100  to obtain a full wetted heat transfer structure. The heat exchange medium exits the heat transfer structure  104  through an outlet of the second header tube  120  at an upper elevation diagonally opposite either the right side  124  or the left side  126  inlet of the first header tube  118  from which the heat exchange medium entered. The heat exchange medium exits the outlet of the second header tube  120  at either the right side  128  or the left side  130 . In this example, the heat exchange medium is an aqueous fluid. The aqueous fluid can be water or propylene glycol. It is understood that the heat exchange medium may vary in other embodiments. 
         [0025]    The insulative layer  108  can be a vacuum panel or foam material configured to keep heat from escaping out of the solar collector  100 . The foam material can be a polymer based material such as, but limited to, a polyurethane or poly-isocyanurate material. The insulative layer  108  is between the heat transfer structure  104  and the back plate  110  lining the walls of the frame structure  112 . The insulative layer  108  can be about ¾ inch to 1¼ inch thick. 
         [0026]    The back plate  110  and the frame walls  174  support the insulative layer  108 . In this example, the back plate  110  is a polymeric material such as, but not limited to, polypropylene. Other types of thermoplastic material can be used, including, but not limited to, polycarbonates, acrylics, polystyrenes, polypropylenes, and mixtures thereof. The polymeric material can be formed to provide a shallow tray shape having a lip to support the glazing material  102 . The shallow tray can provide the frame wall  174  and the back plate  110  by thermoforming. The shallow tray thermoformed back plate  110  can be made using conventional techniques, such as, but not limited to, injection molding, injection blow molding, compression molding, injection stretch molding, composite injection molding, roto-molding, and the like. In other embodiments, the back plate  110  may be a metal sheet such as embossed aluminum sheeting. 
         [0027]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , 90° elbows  132  are shown attached to the header tubes  114  and extend through the back plate  110  of the solar collector  100  to allow the aqueous fluid to flow toward the ground. The 90° elbows  132  are preferably made out of a strong rigid material such as metal (e.g., copper, steel, iron, aluminum, titanium, etc.), carbon fiber, fiberglass, plastic, a composite material, or combinations of these or other materials. The header tubes  114  protrude through the back plate  110  of the solar collector  100  directly into the interior space  208  of the shed  200 . This configuration provides for the outside of the shed  200  to be free of any structure extending from the solar collector  100 . It is understood that varying degrees can be used for an elbow. In other embodiments, the solar collector  100  does not include an elbow for turning the direction of fluid flow to the ground. 
         [0028]    The frame structure  112  supports all of the components of the solar collector  100 . In other words, the frame structure  112  connects the back plate  110  and the glazing material  102  together. The frame structure  112  is preferably made out of a strong rigid material such as extruded aluminum or a polymer material (e.g., polypropylene, etc) which extends around the perimeter of the solar collector  100 . The frame structure  112  can be made using conventional techniques, including thermoforming, injection molding, injection blow molding, compression molding, injection stretch molding, composite injection molding, roto-molding, and the like. In other embodiments, the material can be wood, carbon fiber, fiberglass, metal, composite material, or combinations of these or other materials. The frame structure  112  includes a first lip  134  to support the glazing material  102  therein and an opposing second lip  136  to support the back plate  110  therein as shown in  FIG. 4 . 
         [0029]    The frame structure  112  can be in the shape of a “c-channel” before it is assembled into a boxed perimeter around the solar collector  100 . The “c-channel” is fastened together at the corner with screws or clips once the components of the solar collector  100  are placed inside the frame structure  112 . With conventional solar panels, a heat transfer structure is placed into the frame structure and header tubes extend through the frame structure about 1 inch at four locations. Pursuant to the current disclosure, the header tubes  114 , including a heat exchange medium inlet and a heat exchange medium outlet, extend through the back plate  110  as opposed to the frame structure  112 . The glazing material  102  is placed in the frame structure  112  at the top of the c-channel and lies in the lip  134  of the frame structure  112 . The glazing material  102  is placed into the frame structure  112  and a cap strip (not shown) is used to hold the glazing material  102 . The frame structure  112  is screwed at the cap strip to put the box together with the glazing material therein. The frame structure  112  can be flipped 180 degrees to place the insulative layer  108  inside and the back plate  110  into the second lip  136  of the frame structure  112 . The back plate  110  is screwed down to the same c-channel at the bottom and through the frame structure  112 . 
         [0030]    In this example, the shed  200  is constructed from several separate pieces of lumber. It is understood that various types of lumber can be used herein. In other embodiments, the shed  200  can be constructed from extruded plastic, metal or other conventional materials. The shed  200  can be constructed having multiple sides and various dimensions. The height, length, width of the shed  200  can be constructed using any dimensions desired. 
         [0031]    In this example, the shed  200  can have a height of about 8 ft. to about 12 ft., a length of about 8 ft. to about 12 ft. and a width of about 4 ft. to about 12 ft. In this example, each piece of lumber forms a wall section of the shed  200 . The longest piece being about 12 ft. long and about 4 ft. to 5 ft. wide. This allows the component wall piece to be broken down and consolidated into a crate more efficiently for shipment from a point of manufacturing to a point of installation. It is understood that the shed  200  can vary in the dimensions shown and in the number of pieces depicted. In this example, the plurality of sides  202  of the shed  200  are pre-engineered or drilled with holes that are configured to align together with bolts  206  already installed. The plurality of sides  202  are aligned or squared up to connect together using nuts and washers on the ends of the bolts  206 . 
         [0032]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 5 , the shed  200  includes a left side wall  138 , an opposing right side wall  140 , a back side wall  142 , a left radius wall  144 , and a right radius wall  146 . The back side wall  140  is arranged and configured to define an opening for receiving a door  150 . The back side wall  140  extends between the opposing left side and right side walls  138 ,  140  and attaches thereto. In this example, the back side wall  142  is configured together using a first back side wall  142   a  and a second back side wall  142   b . The first and second back side walls  142   a ,  142   b  are connected together using the bolts  206 . The top  152  of the left side wall  138  of the shed  200  and the top  154  of the right side wall  140  of the shed  200  are each angled from a lower end  156   a ,  156   b  to a higher end  158   a ,  158   b . The angled tops  152 ,  154  form a pitched shaped configuration on the shed  200 . 
         [0033]    The left radius wall  144  and the right radius wall  146  are connected together similarly as described above in relation to the back side wall  140  and form the front side wall  160  of the shed  200 . The left and right radius walls  144 ,  146  are each arranged and configured to attach to a bottom portion  162   a ,  162   b . The bottom portions  162   a ,  162   b  are respectively connected to the left side wall  138  or the right side wall  140 . In this example, the left and right radius walls  144 ,  146  are about 40° radius pieces of moldable PVC material. The PVC left and right radius walls  144 ,  146  allows for the shed  200  to function as a greenhouse. The solar collector  100  becomes a device to harvest solar energy in a multiplicity of ways to both heat aqueous fluid and air associated with the shed  200  structure itself. Therefore, the solar collector  100  is not only using the sun to heat the aqueous fluid, but also has the dual capability of using the sun to provide space heating for a greenhouse. In other embodiments, the shed  200  can be arranged and configured without the functionality of a greenhouse. One example to achieve this is to have the front side wall  160  not function as a greenhouse attachment. It is understood that materials other than PVC may be used as the front side wall  160  of the shed  200 . In other embodiments, the degree radius of the left and right radius walls  144 ,  146  can vary. 
         [0034]    The shed  200  further includes a beam  164  located at the lower ends  156   a ,  156   b  of the left and right side walls  138 ,  140  and extending there between. The beam  164  helps to support the structure of the shed  200  and provides the final side of a frame  166  for supporting the solar collector  100 . 
         [0035]    In this example, the solar collector  100  is mounted on the shed  200  without the need for any underlying structure. The solar collector  100  forms a pitched roof that is about 10 ft. long and about 4 ft. wide. The solar collector  100  is secured on the shed  200  using a mounting device such as, but not limited to, clips  168 . It is understood that other mounting devices including a clamp, dowel, ferrule, hook, latch, lug, nail, pin, rivet, and screw or other fasteners, can be used. The clips  168  attach on each corner of the frame  166  of the shed  200 . The clips  168  can extend 0.5 inch to about 1½ inches outside of the frame  166 . A bolt  206  goes through the clip  168  into the frame  166  of the shed  200  to hold the solar collector  100  thereon to exclusively form the roof of the shed  200 . The clips are preferably made out of a strong rigid material such as metal (e.g., aluminum, steel, iron, titanium, etc.), wood, carbon fiber, fiberglass, plastic, a composite material, or a combination of these or other materials. In other embodiments, the solar collector  100  can be mounted with existing roofing structure, i.e. rafters. 
         [0036]    In other embodiments, the frame  166  can be arranged and configured to extend approximately 1 to 2 inches below the back plate  110 . This extension would cause the solar collector  100  to act as a weather proof cap for the top of the support structure walls beneath. It would also cause the solar collector  100  to act as a means to maintain properly squared orientation between the individual wall sections of the support structure. 
         [0037]    In this example, the solar collector  100  can also include ventilation holes located in the air gap of the back plate  110 . The back plate  110  can further include a thermally regulated vent  170  operated by a trapped fluid piston or bimetal actuator to provide ventilation of heat out of the solar collector  100  during stagnation conditions when the heat transfer medium is not available during periods of solar gain. Such a condition normally occurs during stagnation of the solar collector associated with controlled shut down of pumps which move the thermal transfer fluid after the thermal storage mass has reached designed high temperature limit as well as during power outage when solar gain is occurring. The thermally regulated vent  170  is constructed to provide a release means of solar heated air in the interior region of the solar collector  100  between the insulative layer  108  near the back plate  110  and the glazing material  102  when a temperature in the interior region is in excess of about 220° F. The thermally regulated vent  170  can be operated by a trapped fluid piston or bimetal actuator positioned anywhere within the solar collector  100  such as, but not limited to, the back plate  110 , the frame structure  112 , or the glazing material  102 . In  FIG. 3 , a thermally regulated vent  170 ′ is provided in the glazing material  102 , a thermally regulated vent  170 ″ is provided in the frame structure  112 , and a thermally regulated vent  170 ′″ is provided in the back plate  110 . The thermally regulated vent  170  is configured to sense or read the temperature inside the region of the solar collector  100 . The trapped fluid piston or bimetal actuator allows the solar collector  100  to expand and open up a hinged area to allow the heat in the solar collector  100  to escape once a temperature rises above about 220° F. to about 240° F. The thermally regulated vent  170  provides for the solar collector  100  to open at the top and the bottom to prevent the plastic parts therein from failing in high temperature. 
         [0038]    In order to accommodate glazing materials with a lower threshold of thermal deformation than glass, such as polycarbonate plastic, the solar collector  100  may include a thermally actuated venting mechanism, normally incorporating a thermally activated vent, constructed to provide a release means of solar heated air in the interior region between the insulation layer near the back plate and the glazing when a temperature in the interior region is in excess of about 220° F. 
         [0039]    Referring again to  FIG. 3 , the solar collector  100  further includes a frame construction  172 , where the frame construction  172  forms an interior region  174 . The frame construction  172  includes the back plate  110 , the glazing material  102 , and the frame structure  112 . The solar collector  100  having the insulative layer  108 , the sunlight absorber  106 , the heat transfer structure  104  and the bimetal actuator valve  170  provided within the interior region  174 . 
         [0040]    The aqueous fluid supplied to the solar collector  100  runs through water lines underground from a dwelling house. One method of transferring the aqueous fluid is by circulating the aqueous fluid in a non-pressurized closed loop between a storage tank and the solar collector  100 . The method of heat transfer is indirect and can be accomplished through a preheat function with a non-pressurized heat exchange coil located in the pressurized solar storage tank or through an external heat exchanger in a small heat transfer drain back module. In other embodiments, the method of transfer may vary. 
         [0041]    An umbilical tubular conduit with insulated piping can be used to transfer the solar thermal energy to a pre-existing storage and/or hot water delivery system integral to an existing dwelling structure. The dwelling structure being any type of building. 
         [0042]    Referring to  FIG. 6 , an example of a mounting base  300  is depicted. The mounting base  300  can be made available to size. In this example, the mounting base  300  is pre-cut to align directly with the plurality of sides  202  of the shed  200  to provide an exact footprint thereof. The number of pre-cut pieces of the mounting base  300  may vary with the type of structure being supported. The mounting base  300  can be arranged and configured to provide an exact squared support for the plurality of sides  202  of the shed  200 . It is understood that the mounting base  300  can be used as a squared support means independently of the type of structure being supported. The mounting base  300  allows the plurality of sides  202  to be erected squarely such that the solar collector  100  can be easily attached thereon. 
         [0043]    In this example, the mounting base  300  is a treated lumber. It is understood that the mounting base  300  can be made of other materials, such as, but limited to, coated steel. The mounting base  300  can have dimensions of equal length to that of the structure being supported. In this example, the mounting base  300  has a dimension of about 4×6. The dimensions of the mounting base  300  can vary to be smaller or larger depending on the structure supported. The mounting base  300  can be leveled for subsequently mounting a structure thereon. The mounting base  300  can be configured to attach to the ground by using anchoring means. It is understood that various types of anchors may be used, such as, those consisting of cables or rods connected to a bearing plate. The type of anchor may vary in material selection and shape depending on the ground surface. 
         [0044]    The mounting base  300  can be assembled from pre-cut pieces of treated lumber. The pieces of treated lumber can be cut at 45 degree angles and fit together to form a 90 degree corner. The mounting base  300  may include a mounting bracket  302  to secure the mounting base  300  pre-cut pieces together. It is understood that the mounting bracket  302  can vary in size and shape. The mounting bracket  302  can help to maintain the mounting base  300  in a squared relationship. It is understood that the pre-cut pieces of the mounting base  300  may be secured together by alternative means, such as, but not limited to, adhesive. 
         [0045]    As shown in  FIG. 6 , the mounting bracket  302  has a first edge  304 , and a second edge  306  being opposite one another and extending from a wall  308 . In this example, the wall  308  of the mounting bracket  302  includes a plurality of apertures  310 . Fasteners (not shown), such as, but not limited to, bolts, threaded fastener, rivet, latch, wire tie, dowel, pin, thumbscrew, can be used to secure the mounting bracket  302  to the mounting base  300 . In this example, the mounting bracket  302  is configured as 90 degree angled corner brackets arranged to fit the 90 degree corners of the mounting base  300 . In this example, the mounting bracket  302  is constructed of steel. It is understood that other metals may be used, as well as, plastics. The mounting base  300  may also be configured to hold anchoring means that may be used for attachment to the ground. 
         [0046]    While this invention has been particularly shown and described with references to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention encompassed by the appended clams. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention and other modifications within the scope. Any such modifications or variations that fall within the purview of this description are intended to be included therein as well. It is understood that the description herein is intended to be illustrative only and is not intended to be limitative.