Patent Publication Number: US-2012023726-A1

Title: Method and apparatus providing simplified installation of a plurality of solar panels

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 12/846,621, filed Jul. 29, 2010, 12/846,644, filed Jul. 29, 2010, and 12/846,686, filed Jul. 29, 2010, the disclosures of each of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     Embodiments of the invention relate to simplifying installation of solar panels in large-scale arrays. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Photovoltaic power generation systems are currently constructed by installing a foundation system (typically a series of posts or footings), a module structural support frame (typically brackets, tables or rails, and clips), and then mounting individual solar panels to the support frame. The solar panels are then grouped electrically together into PV strings, which are fed to an electric harness. The harness conveys electric power generated by the solar panels to an aggregation point and onward to electrical inverters. 
     Prior art commercial scale PV systems such as this must be installed by moving equipment, materials, and labor along array rows to mount solar panels on the support frames one-at-a-time. This is a time-consuming process, which becomes increasingly inefficient with larger scale systems. 
     With innovations in PV cell efficiency quickly making PV-generated energy more cost-effective, demand for large-scale PV systems installations is growing. Such systems may have a row length of half a mile or more. Accordingly, a simplified system for solar panel installation is needed. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing a carrier for mounting a plurality of solar panels in a first embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a close-up perspective view showing a recessed area in the carrier. 
         FIGS. 3A-3B  are close-up perspective views showing solar panels mounted in the carrier. 
         FIG. 3C  is a cross-sectional side view showing a solar panel mounted in the carrier. 
         FIG. 4  is a top-down view showing a schematic of the electrical wiring in the carrier 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view showing attachment structures on the underside of the carrier. 
         FIGS. 6A-6B  are perspective views, respectively showing different arrangements for mounting the carrier to spaced parallel support rails. 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional side view showing one embodiment of an attachment structure for mounting the carrier to a support rail. 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view showing another embodiment of an attachment structure for mounting the carrier to a support rail. 
         FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional side view showing another embodiment of an attachment structure for mounting the carrier to a support rail. 
         FIG. 10A  is a top-down view showing another embodiment of carrier. 
         FIGS. 10B-C  are a side view and cross-sectional side view of the carrier along axes A and B, as shown in  FIG. 10A . 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view showing another embodiment of an attachment structure for mounting a carrier to parallel support rails. 
         FIG. 12  is a side view showing the attachment structure of  FIG. 11  for mounting a carrier to parallel support rails provided on a folding table. 
         FIG. 13  is a close-up cross-sectional side view of the attachment structure of  FIG. 11 . 
         FIG. 14  is a perspective view of another embodiment of a carrier. 
         FIGS. 15A-D  are perspective views of carriers being mounted to support rails one after another. 
         FIG. 16  is a perspective view showing a carrier for mounting a single solar panel. 
         FIGS. 17A-17B  show perspective views of  FIG. 16  carriers being mounted to support rails on a roof structure one after another. 
         FIG. 18  is a view showing operation of a robotic installation system for installing  FIG. 1  carriers. 
         FIGS. 19A-E  are views showing operation of a push actuator of the  FIG. 18  robotic installation system. 
         FIGS. 20A-B  are perspective views showing a field array installation using carriers and support structures detailed herein. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and which illustrate specific embodiments of the invention. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those of ordinary skill in the art to make and use them. It is also understood that structural, logical, or procedural changes may be made to the specific embodiments disclosed herein. 
     Described herein is a method for mounting and sliding a multiplicity of mountable solar panels along a rail system using a solar panel carrier. For utility scale ground mounted solar systems or commercial or residential rooftop systems, the use of a rail system to slide carriers each containing one or more solar panels into place provides several benefits. By moving all work to one or more locations along each row, e.g., at the head, the system maximizes the use of preassembled components, minimizes material movement logistics, and reduces both on-site field labor and equipment movement over the site. One embodiment of the system is constructed by installing a support structure comprising a plurality of spaced parallel rails, which may be ground or structure supported, designed to receive and allow sliding movement of a pre-assembled carrier that supports either a single solar panel or a plurality of solar panels as a unit. The support structure could also comprise a solar tracking system which would allow the rails to be rotated. 
     A first embodiment of a carrier  100  is depicted in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 ,  3 ,  4  and  5 . Carrier  100  is a lightweight, cartridge-like structure that provides structural support and contains and supports a plurality of solar panels  120   a - h  in a 4×2 array and facilitates their electrical interconnection. The carrier  100  is made of either synthetic or natural structural material, including, but not limited to, aluminum, rolled steel, or other metals and plastics. As an alternative, and as shown by element  1400  in  FIG. 14 , the carrier  1400  can be constructed in a honeycombed or gridded structure. This saves weight while maintaining structural strength. 
     As shown in more detail in  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  3 A- 3 B, a plurality of solar panels  120   a - h  are mounted in respective recessed areas  110   a - h  of carrier  100 , with one such recessed area  110   f  being shown without an installed solar panel in  FIG. 2 . Solar panels  120   a - h  are held in place by being snapped, clipped, or otherwise securely seated in each of the recessed areas  110   a - h . The solar panels  120   a - h  are preferably mounted in the recesses  110   a - h  before conveyance of a carrier to an installation site, so all that needs to be done at the installation site is to mount the carrier  100  containing a plurality of solar panels to a support structure. Although an array of eight solar panels  120   a - h  in a 4×2 array is shown in the Figures as being supported by carrier  100 , it is understood that any number or arrangement of solar panels could be mounted on and supported by a carrier  100 . For instance,  FIG. 15  shows a 4×1 array of solar panels on a carrier  1500 , while  FIG. 16  shows a single solar panel on a carrier  1600 . 
       FIGS. 2 and 3A  show one embodiment of an arrangement for mounting solar panels in the recessed areas  110   a - h  of carrier  100 . One edge of a solar panel, e.g.,  210   f  (not shown) is slid under a lip groove  204  within recessed area  110   f  and lowered into position. To secure a solar panel in place, clips  302   a - b  which engage with an opposite edge of a solar panel are themselves engaged by screws or other fasteners with openings  202   a - b  provided on a side of the recess  110   f  opposite the side containing lip groove  204 . Together with lip groove  204 , clips  302   a  and  302   b  hold a solar panel in place within a recess. An alternate embodiment for securing the solar panels in the recesses is shown in  FIG. 3B , which uses spring back clips  312   a - b  that overhang an edge of the recess. As one edge of a solar panel is slid under a lip groove  204  in a recess, it is then lowered into position, causing the opposite edge to press against the spring-back clips  312   a - b , which push back and bend until the solar panel clears the bottom of the clips. Once clear, the clips  312   a - b  will slide back over top of the solar panel, securing it in place. 
     Clips and grooves are not the only way solar panels can be mounted in recesses of the carrier  100 ; glue, Velcro™, or other known engagement means can be used. In another embodiment for securing the solar panels to the recesses, resilient engagement members can be used to hold the panels in place.  FIG. 3C , for instance, shows a pair of rubber stoppers  322   a - b  at opposite ends of a recessed area  110   f  which allow panel  210   f  to be slid under one of the stoppers  322   a  and then pressed down past the other stopper  322   b  to be held in place. The carrier  100  is preferably configured so that whichever structure are used to hold a solar panel within a recess is used, solar panels  120   a - h  are either flush with or below a top surface  210  of the carrier  100 . This allows the carrier  100  to be stacked with like carriers for shipping and also protects the solar panels  120   a - h  while in storage or transit to an installation site. 
     In general, solar-generated electricity is harvested and transmitted through a pre-wired common bus or cable system integral to the carrier  100 . Some examples of a common bus system that may be employed are described in more detail in co-pending application Ser. No. 12/846,671, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. One embodiment of pre-wiring a carrier  100  for connection to a common bus system  280  is schematically shown in  FIGS. 2 and 4 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , an electrical connector  206  can be provided in the lower surface of the recessed area  110   f  so that when a solar panel is placed in a recessed area  110   f , a plug on the bottom of a solar panel engages electrical connector  206  to connect it to the common bus system  280 .  FIG. 2  also shows an electrical connector  208  provided in a sidewall of the recess  110   f  that could be used in lieu of connector  206  to connect wiring  212  to side electrical connectors on a solar panel. An exemplary electrical connection schematic for a carrier  100  is shown in  FIG. 4 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , the wiring  212  for a carrier  100  runs from the electrical connectors  206  in each recessed area  110   a - h  into channels  232   a - b  provided in carrier  100  which run above each attachment area  130   a - b  (a similar channel  732   a  is also shown in  FIG. 7 ). Each of the channels  232   a - b  is connected to a transverse central channel  278  which runs through carrier  100 , which houses the common bus system  280 . The wiring  212  connects electrical connectors  206 , and thus the solar panel engaged in each recess  110   a - h  to the common bus system  280 . Although the common bus system  280  in each carrier  100  can be terminated at an electric harvester on a carrier  100  support structure, such as is shown in  FIG. 12 ,  FIG. 4  shows an embodiment where each carrier  100  can be equipped with a male electrical connector  216  and female electrical connector  218  for interconnecting the common bus systems  280  of multiple carriers  100 , together. In this manner, as the carriers  100  are slid into position on a support structure in the manner discussed in more detail below and pressed against each other, corresponding male  216  and female  218  connectors engage to electrically connect the solar panels of adjacent carriers  100 . Interconnected carriers  100  can then transfer electric power to a common point and onward to an electrical inverter before connecting to an electrical grid. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 5 , each carrier  100  has attachment structures  130   a - b  in the form of grooves on the carrier underside to seat the carriers  100  on support structures.  FIG. 6A  shows an exemplary carrier  100  with its attachment structures  130   a - b  being slidably mounted on a support structure  600  comprising a set of spaced parallel rails  640   a - b .  FIGS. 1 ,  5  and  6 A show that for carrier  100 , the attachment structures  130   a - b  are on the under side of the carrier  100 .  FIG. 6B  shows an alternate embodiment of a carrier  600  where the attachment structures are provided in the form of slots  630   a - b  on side edges of the carrier  600 , which are mounted on and engage with a support structure  601  that also comprises a set of spaced parallel rails  641   a - b.    
     As can be seen in  FIGS. 6A ,  6 B, a carrier  100 ,  600  can be slid onto the rails  640   a ,  640   b  or  641   a ,  641   b  ( FIG. 6B ) for mounting in the field. Successive carriers  100 ,  600 , each containing a plurality of solar panels (in this embodiment), can be advanced (by sliding) onto the rails one after another, resulting in considerably reduced field installation time. In addition, adjacent carriers  100 ,  600  can be electrically connected to one another by mating male and female electrically connectors  216 ,  218 . 
       FIG. 16  shows another embodiment of a carrier  1600  for holding a single solar panel  121  and having a pair of attachment structures  130   a - b . Similar to the carrier of  FIG. 1  which holds multiple panels, carrier  1600  can be optionally connected to other carriers  1600  using a male electrical connector  216  (not shown) and female electrical connector  218  on an outer part of a frame of the carrier  1600 . It should be understood that the various methods and structures described herein for mounting solar panels on a multi-panel carrier, e.g.,  100 , are applicable to single panel carriers, e.g.,  1600 , as well. For instance, similar to carrier  100 , carrier  1600  can have a recessed area ( 110  in  FIG. 1 ) and an engagement mechanism for holding solar panel  121  within the recessed area, and an electrical connector ( 206  in  FIG. 2 ) located within the recessed area for electrically connecting the solar panel  121  to connectors  216 ,  213 . 
     Similar to  FIG. 6A , as shown in  FIG. 17A , a first single-panel carrier  1600  can be placed on the parallel spaced rails  1740   a - b  of support structure  1700  and slid down the rails far enough to place another carrier on the rails  1740   a - b  in place behind it, so it too can be slid down the rails  1740   a - b . It should be understood that carrier  1600  could be placed on the rails  1740   a - b  by simple lifting, or a winch could be used. Alternatively, carrier  1600  could be lined up over the rails  1740   a - b  and lowered on top of them. It should also be appreciated that the same methods of mounting the carriers described in other embodiments, e.g., for carrier  100 , can be used. Further, since it may be difficult to manually push successive carriers, e.g.,  100 ,  1600  over long distances, carriers could be lowered onto a rail e.g.,  640   a - b ,  1740   a - b  at set locations spaced along the rail and then slid into position. Alternatively, a robotic system as described in application Ser. No. 12/846,644 can be used to place the carrier  1600  on rails  1740   a - b  and slide them down the rails. 
       FIG. 17B  shows a second carrier  1600   b  being placed on parallel spaced rails  1740   a - b  of the support structure  1700  behind the first carrier  1600 . The carriers  1600 ,  1600   b  are pressed together, so as to facilitate movement in tandem along the support structure. As mentioned above, this connection may also facilitate electrically interconnecting the solar panels on the carriers  1600 ,  1600   b  via connectors  216 ,  218 . Carriers  1600 ,  1600   b  can also be held together by any suitable fastening means  1610  (shown in  FIG. 16 ), such as complementary locking or latching structures, or Velcro™, or any other fastening mechanism, mounted on the outside of the carriers  1600 ,  1600   b . Once contacted, carriers  1600 ,  1600   b  can be slid in tandem along the support structure. As subsequent carriers  1600  are placed on the rails, the installer can advance the already mounted carriers  1600  incrementally further down an array row. The installation process continues until a desired number of carriers have been placed on the rail and slid into position. 
     It should be noted that the support structure  1700  is shown as being designed to run along a horizontal surface of a roof, as opposed to perpendicular to it (i.e. in a vertical direction). Although the support structures (e.g.,  1700 ) described herein could be adapted to vertical mounting, horizontal mounting is preferred because it permits carriers to be slid into a desired position without requiring a locking mechanism to prevent the carriers from falling back down the structure. It should also be understood that various combinations of trucks or no trucks, and different types of rails can be used with any of the carriers (e.g.,  100 ,  600 ,  700 ,  800 ,  900 ,  1000 ,  1100 ,  1400  and  1600 ) described herein. 
     As mentioned above, row length in large-scale PV systems can be half a mile or more. In order to easily slide carriers along such a long path, as shown in  FIG. 7 , carrier  700  may use a roller truck  760  mounted within the attachment structure  730   a , which facilitates easier sliding movement across long stretches of rail  740 .  FIG. 7  also shows a channel  732   a  above attachment structure  730   a , for routing wiring  712  to an electrical connector  708  in a corresponding recessed area  710   a.    
     The truck  760  comprises a plurality of paired spaced rollers  764   a - b  mounted on a corresponding axle  762 . The truck  760  only takes up a small portion of space inside the attachment structure  760   a , so that a rail  740 , which may have a  1 ′ or other cross-sectional shape, can extend far enough in the attachment structures  730   a - b  to stabilize the carrier  700 . Once a carrier  700  is slid into position on the rails  740 , it can be secured to the rails  740  by extending a set screw  752  (in channel  750 ) or other fastener to engage a groove  742  in the rail  740 . Advantageously, the set screw  752  also functions as an electrical ground, if made of conductive material, grounding a conductive carrier  700 , to a conductive rail  740 . 
     Although, as shown in  FIG. 7 , truck  760  may use multiple equally spaced rollers  764   a - b , a truck could also use any sliding movement assisting structure, including a single roller on an axle (such as the rollers  864   a - b  in  FIG. 8 ) or ball bearings (such as bearings  766   a - b  in  FIG. 9 ). Generally, the trucks  760  are manufactured separately from the carriers  700  and are mounted in the attachment structures  730   a - b  by screw, bolt, glue, or other fastener. However, the trucks  760  could also be integral to the attachment structures, and, as shown in the alternate embodiment of  FIG. 8 , rollers  864   a - b  could be installed directly inside attachment structure  830   a . Referring back to  FIGS. 1 ,  5  and  6 A, the attachment structures  130   a - b  or  630   a - b  can take the form of simple grooves, and a non-stick, or low friction slidable surface such as a Teflon®-coated surface can be applied within the grooves instead of using a truck  760  to facilitate sliding movement of a carrier. 
       FIG. 9  shows an alternate embodiment of a carrier  900  having a truck  960  which comprises a plurality of paired spaced ball bearings  966   a - b , which are mounted in upper and lower housings  964   a - b  and  968   a - b  respectively. Truck  960  also has a pair of arms  962   a - b  that extend to engage corresponding grooves  942   a - b  in a support rail  940 . Though only shown in this embodiment, it should be understood that any truck  760 ,  960  could use such arms  962   a - b  which engage the corresponding grooves  942   a - b  in the support rail. The  FIG. 9  truck  960  is secured to attachment structure  930   a  by means of screw  970  or other fastener, which is driven through a top surface of the attachment structure  930   a  into the body of carrier  900 . Other trucks that may be employed are described in more detail in co-pending application Ser. No. 12/846,686, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The trucks  760 ,  960  described herein and in application Ser. No. 12/846,686 can be used on any of the carriers  100 ,  600 ,  700 ,  800 ,  900 ,  1000 ,  1100 ,  1400  and  1600  described herein. 
     A plurality of carriers may be stacked together and shipped to an installation site. For this reason, the carriers, e.g.,  100 ,  600 ,  700 ,  800 ,  900 ,  1000 ,  1100 ,  1400  and  1600  are generally designed to lie flat or fit together vertically and are configured to protect the solar panels in transit, and the trucks, e.g.,  760 ,  960  are designed to be completely contained flush or preferably entirely within the attachment structures. In addition, as noted above, the solar panels are preferably recessed in the carriers  100 ,  600 ,  700 ,  800 ,  900 ,  1000 ,  1100 ,  1400  and  1600 . Optionally, as is shown in  FIG. 14 , a carrier  1400  can have one or more openings  1402  so that when carriers are stacked, a threaded securing member (not shown) can be inserted in opening  1402  and topped with bolts to ensure the carriers remain secure in place during transit. Carrier  1400  may also have a plurality of protrusions  1404   a ,  1404   b  to engage corresponding recesses (not shown) in the backside of carrier  1400  to help hold a stack of carriers together as an integrated unit. Alternately, or in addition to the protrusions  1404   a ,  1404   b , and associated recesses, the carrier  1400  can be formed with a self-aligning lip  1450  that engages a corresponding recess (not shown) on the backside of carrier  1400  for the same purpose. 
       FIGS. 10A-10C  show an embodiment in which carrier  1000  is constructed of a frame structure of spaced elongated members  1010   a - d . The spaced elongated members  1010   a - d  are preferably formed in a U-shape with outwardly extending flanges on either top side. This shape is also known as a hat channel. Attachment structures  1030   a - b  are fastened transversely across and beneath the spaced elongated members  1010   a - d  for, as shown in  FIG. 10A , slidably connecting the carrier  1000  to support rails  1040   a - b . Solar panels, e.g.,  1020   a - b , are mounted on top of the spaced elongated members  1010   a - d  and secured by clips  1012   a - b  or other fastener to the elongated members  1010   a - d . As with the  FIG. 1-5  embodiment, glue, Velcro™, or other known engagement means can be used to secure the solar panels  1020   a - d  to the spaced elongated members  1010   a - d . An optional exterior rim  1050 , shown in dotted lines in  FIG. 10A , is fit around the outside of the carrier and fastened to the ends of both the spaced elongated members  1010   a - d  and attachment structures  1030   a - b . The optional exterior rim  1050  provides added structural support and also enables the carrier  1000  to be stacked with other carriers. Preferably, the spaced elongated members  1010   a - d , solar panels  1020   a - d , and attachment structures  1030   a - b  are all arranged within the dimension of the thickness of exterior rim  1050  so they do not project beyond a top or bottom surface of the rim  1050  of the carrier  1000 , enabling stacking of carriers  1000 . 
     Carrier  1000  is also equipped with a common bus system  1080 . Wiring  1012  for the common bus system  1080  is run through the spaced elongated members  1010   a - d .  FIG. 10A  shows a series of plugs  1006 , for connecting the solar panels  1020   a - d  to the common bus system  280 . The common bus system  1080 , through a channel  1078  transversely mounted to the bottom of spaced elongated members  1010   a - d , also has a plug  1014  and plug  1016  on opposite sides of the exterior rim  1050  of the carrier  1000  for electrically interconnecting adjacent carriers  1000 . 
       FIG. 10B  shows a side view of carrier  1000  along axis A of  FIG. 10A , showing a solar panel  1020   a  mounted on spaced elongated member  1010   a , along with attachment structure  1030   a  and rail  1040   a . It should be understood that trucks, e.g.,  760 ,  960  can be mounted in attachment structure  1030   a  as well, and that attachment structure  1030   a  may be fitted with holes or screw threads (not shown) that can be used with fasteners, e.g., screw  970  on truck  960  or fit with portions of the truck, e.g.,  760 ,  960  to secure and stabilize the truck within the attachment structure  1030   a D.  FIG. 10C  shows a cross-section of carrier  1000  along axis B of  FIG. 10B , showing solar panel  1020   a  mounted on spaced elongated members  1010   a - b  along with exterior rim  1050 . 
       FIGS. 11-13  show another embodiment of a carrier  1100  that does not employ a truck. The cross sectional profile of the attachment structures  1130   a - b , which are formed as grooves in the underside of carrier  1100 , matches that of the rails  1140   a - b , which are generally T-shaped in cross-section.  FIGS. 12 and 13  show this embodiment in more detail. Rails  840   a - b  are mounted on a support table  1190  or other supporting structures, such that carrier  1100  is suspended above the table by the rails  840   a - b . As can be seen in  FIG. 11 , the rails  1140   a - b  are transversely mounted to flange  1152  on the table  1050 . The rails  1140   a - b  themselves are hollow and can be compressed, which allows sliding of the carriers  1100  along the rails, and after the carriers  1100  are slid into place, provide resistance which holds the carriers  1100  to the rails  1140   a - b .  FIG. 12  also shows that carrier  1100  is connected to an electrical harness  1192  on a support table post support structure  1150  via plug  1118 , so that collected solar-generated electricity can be gathered and sent to a power grid. 
     Although the rails depicted in  FIGS. 6A-9  and  11 - 13  have a generally T-shaped profile, it should be understood that another cross-sectional rail profile, e.g., circular or I-shaped, could be used. Further, it should be understood that although the mounting system described herein (e.g.,  601  shown in  FIG. 6B ) is generally used for ground mounted installations (as in  FIG. 12 ). 
     As discussed above, deployment of carriers may be accomplished by manually placing the carriers one after another onto the rails (e.g., by lowering carriers onto the rails or aligning attachment structures on the carriers to the rails) and advancing them by sliding them on the rails into a desired position. This placing and sliding can be done at the head end of a row or at spaced positions along a row. Head-end installation reduces equipment and labor movement. Both rails and carriers are designed so that carriers can quickly be placed onto rails and slid into a final position. Manual deployment of carriers is shown in  FIGS. 15A-D .  FIG. 15A  shows a first cartridge  1500  being lowered onto support structure  1540  via a lifting device  1510 . Lifting device  1510 , which is attached to an overhead cable  1511 , can comprise (as shown) an adjustable frame  1512  that holds a cartridge (e.g.,  1500 ) by its edges. Each side of the frame  1512  can be opened or closed by engaging a corresponding latch  1513   a ,  1513   b .  FIG. 15B  shows cartridge  1500  securely placed on the support structure  1540 , after which it can be slid down the structure, as shown in  FIG. 15C .  FIG. 15D  shows the placement and subsequent positioning of a second cartridge  1500   b  after the first cartridge  1500 . 
     Since, as noted above, manual installation of carriers can become difficult as the row length increases, a more automated carrier mounting and delivery system may be used. One such delivery system is described in more detail in co-pending application Ser. No. 12/846,644, which is incorporated by reference herein. 
       FIG. 18  shows such a robotic installation system  400  for deployment of carriers. For simplification, only carriers  100  are shown in  FIG. 18 , but it should be understood that the illustrated installation system  400  may be used with any of carriers  600 ,  700 ,  800 ,  900 ,  1000 ,  1100 ,  1400  and  1600 . During operation, the robot arm  410 , to which the frame  460  of a vacuum system  430  is attached, moves to align the frame  460  over a first exemplary  FIG. 1  carrier  100 , situated as the top carrier  100  in a magazine  500  comprising a plurality of carriers  100  stacked together. Once aligned, the vacuum is activated and suction cups  470  are engaged with the solar panels  120   a - h  of the carrier  100 . The robot arm  410  the lifts the carrier  100  off the magazine  500  and moves the carrier  100  over to the rail system  340   a - b.    
     As seen in  FIGS. 19A-E , once first exemplary carrier  100  is placed on the rails  340   a - b  at location  1950  (shown here as an end of the row location), a push actuator  480  pushes a first carrier  100  down the rails  340   a - b . As best seen in  FIG. 19A , the push actuator  480  has a flat surface  485  to engage the edge of the carrier  100 . A telescoping arm  490  extends to press the carrier  100  down the rails  340   a - b  ( FIGS. 19B-D ). As seen in  FIG. 19E , once the first carrier  100  is in place, a second carrier  100   b  can be lowered onto the rails  340   a - b  and pushed by the push actuator  480  along the rails  340   a - b . The first and second carriers  100 ,  100   b  can also be pushed together along the rails  340   a - b . In this manner, multiple carriers  100  can be pushed simultaneously, in order to install a plurality of carriers  100  onto the rail system  340   a - b  from an end of the row location  1950 . 
     Deployment of carriers at spaced positions along a row or at the end of each row reduces equipment and labor movement. Both rails and carriers are designed so the carriers can quickly be placed onto the rails and slid along the rows and moved into a final position. In this manner, each carrier mounts one or more solar panels (e.g., one, four or eight, as shown in the Figures) at once to a set of rails, thereby simplifying installation time and cost. A field installation  2000  is shown in  FIGS. 20A and 20B . In such an installation, a plurality of rows of rails (e.g.,  640   a - b ,  1740   a - b ) are set up, onto which carriers (e.g.,  100 ,  600 ,  700 ,  800 ,  900 ,  1000 ,  1100 ,  1400  and  1600 ) can be installed in sequence, a row at a time, from spaced positions along each row. Optionally, a robotic installation system  400  can be used. 
     It should also be noted that the carriers (e.g.,  100 ,  600 ,  700 ,  800 ,  900 ,  1000 ,  1100 ,  1400  and  1600 ) can be prewired to facilitate solar panel interconnection and the carriers themselves can plug into one another to further reduce installation labor. It should also be noted that any other system components, such as wire harnesses, DC/DC converters, and the like could also be slid in from the ends of the rows, to further increase installation efficiency. 
     While embodiments have been described in detail, it should be readily understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Rather the embodiments can be modified to incorporate any number of variations, alterations, substitutions or equivalent arrangements not heretofore described. Although certain features have been described with some embodiments of the carrier, such features can be employed in other disclosed embodiments of the carrier as well. Accordingly, the invention is not limited by the foregoing embodiments, but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.