Patent Publication Number: US-2012027550-A1

Title: Automated installation system for and method of deployment of photovoltaic solar panels

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     Disclosed embodiments relate to the field of photovoltaic (PV) power generation systems, and more particularly to a system for and method of automated 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 the solar panels on the support frames one-at-a-time. This is a time-consuming process, which becomes increasingly inefficient with the scale of the system being installed. 
     With innovations in solar panel 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 more efficient system for solar panel installation is needed. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing a carrier. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view showing attachment structures on the underside of a carrier. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing mounting carriers to spaced parallel rails. 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional side view showing an attachment structure for mounting a carrier to a rail. 
         FIG. 5  is a view showing a magazine being removed from a delivery truck and a view of a tilt table, according to a disclosed embodiment. 
         FIG. 6  is a view showing a magazine being placed on a tilt table, according to a disclosed embodiment. 
         FIG. 7  is a view showing operation of the tilt table, according to a disclosed embodiment. 
         FIG. 8  is a view showing placement of a magazine onto the installation trailer, according to a disclosed embodiment. 
         FIG. 9  is a view of an installation trailer, according to a disclosed embodiment. 
         FIG. 10  is a view of a robot, according to a disclosed embodiment. 
         FIG. 11  is a view of a frame portion of the vacuum system, according to a disclosed embodiment. 
         FIG. 12  is a view showing a step of operation of the system, according to a disclosed embodiment. 
         FIG. 13  is a view showing a subsequent step to that shown in  FIG. 12  of operation of the system, according to a disclosed embodiment. 
         FIG. 14  is a view showing a subsequent step to that shown in  FIG. 13  of operation of the system, according to a disclosed embodiment. 
         FIG. 15  is a view showing a subsequent step to that shown in  FIG. 14  of operation of the system, according to a disclosed embodiment. 
         FIGS. 16A-E  are views showing operation of the push actuator, subsequent to the step shown in  FIG. 15 , according to a disclosed embodiment. 
         FIGS. 17A-B  are views of the electrical connections of a carrier, according to a disclosed embodiment. 
         FIG. 18  is a view showing an attachment structure for mounting a carrier to a rail, according to an additional disclosed embodiment. 
         FIG. 19  is a block diagram of an alignment system, according to a disclosed embodiment. 
         FIG. 20  is a block diagram of a computer control system, according to a disclosed embodiment. 
         FIG. 21  is a perspective view of another embodiment of a carrier. 
         FIG. 22  is a view showing a mule and wench configuration according to a disclosed embodiment. 
     
    
    
     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 an automated installation system for deployment of modularly mounted solar panels. The installation system reduces both on-site field labor and equipment movement over the site by providing an automated, mobile installation system for end-of-row, rail-based carrier installation of a plurality of solar panels as a unit. The automated installation system of the disclosed embodiments will have the ability to work in a range of outdoor environments and conditions and at a wide temperature range. The automated installation system may include one or more of a trailer, a robot arm, a pickup device (e.g., a vacuum system) and a push actuator, each of which is described in more detail below. 
     The automated installation system works in connection with a ground (or roof) mounted rail and carrier system, described in more detail in co-pending application Ser. No. ______, (Attorney Docket no. F4500.1001, entitled MOUNTING SYSTEM SUPPORTING SLIDABLE INSTALLATION OF A PLURALITY OF SOLAR PANELS AS A UNIT, to John Bellacicco, John Hartelius, Henry Cabuhay, Tom Kuster, Michael Monaco and Martin Perkins), filed concurrently with this application, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. A brief description of one embodiment of the rail/carrier system is included herein for completeness and clarity. Other embodiments and configurations of the rail/carrier system are discussed in more detail in the ‘______application (F4500.1001). 
     The rail/carrier system is constructed by installing a support structure comprising a plurality of spaced parallel rails mounted to posts that are designed to accept a pre-assembled carrier which acts as a carrier for transporting and mounting a plurality of solar panels as a unit. An exemplary carrier  100  is depicted in  FIG. 1 . The 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 enables their electrical connections. A plurality of solar panels  120   a - h  are mounted in corresponding recessed areas  110   a - h  of the carrier  100 , with one such recessed area  110   f  being shown without an installed solar panel in  FIG. 1 . The solar panels  120   a - h  are preferably mounted in the carrier  100  during the manufacturing process; thus at the installation site the carrier  100  carrying the plurality of solar panels  120   a - h  merely needs to be mounted to the rail support structure. The carrier  100  is preferably configured so that regardless of the engagement means used to hold the solar panels  120   a - h  in place, the solar panels  120   a - h  are either flush with or below a top surface of the carrier  100 . This allows the carrier  100  to be stacked, with other like carriers, for shipping in a specially designed magazine  500  ( FIG. 5 ), which protects the solar panels  120   a - h  during transit to the installation site. Full details of the engagement means are included in the ‘______ application (F4500.1001). 
     As seen in  FIGS. 1-3 , each carrier  100  has attachment structures  130   a - b  to seat the carriers  100  on support structures  300 . The support structures  300  generally comprise a set of parallel spaced rails  340   a - b .  FIG. 2  shows that for carrier  100 , the attachment structures are grooves  130   a - b  in the back side of the carrier  100 . Though not shown, the attachment structures could alternatively be located on sidewalls of the carriers  100 . 
     As mentioned above, row length in large-scale PV systems can be half a mile or more. Thus, the carrier  100  should be easily slidable along the parallel spaced rails  340   a - b , for ease of carrier  100  installation.  FIG. 4  shows an example carrier  100  including a truck  760  mounted within the attachment structure  130   a - b , which facilitates easier movement across long stretches of rail  340 . The truck  760  comprises of 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  130   a - b , so that a T-shaped rail  340   a - b  can extend far enough in the attachment structures  130   a - b  to stabilize the carrier  100 . In one embodiment, once a carrier  100  is positioned in place, it can be secured to the rails  340  by extending one or more set screws  752  (in channel  750 ) to engage a groove  742  in the rail  340 . Advantageously, the set screw  752  also functions as an electrical ground, grounding the carrier  100 , if made of conductive material, to the rail  340 . Alternative embodiments of the truck  760  are discussed detail in the ‘______ application (F4500.1001) and in co-pending application Ser. No. ______, (Attorney Docket no. F4500.1005, entitled APPARATUS FACILITATING MOUNTING OF SOLAR PANELS TO A RAIL ASSEMBLY, to John Bellacicco, John Hartelius, Henry Cabuhay, Tom Kuster, and Michael Monaco), filed concurrently with this application, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     As noted above, carriers  100  are shipped to the installation site in a shipping container in a custom designed magazine  500  ( FIG. 5 ) that stacks the carriers  100  for optimized packaging density and installation efficiency. In order to accommodate stacking for transport as a magazine  500 , the carriers  100  are generally designed to stack flatly together and are configured to protect the solar panels  120   a - h  in the stack and during transit, and the trucks  760  are designed to be completely contained within the grooved attachment structures  130   a - b , in order to facilitate stacking. Various embodiments of the carriers  100  configured in such a manner are discussed in detail in the ‘______ and ‘______ applications (F4500.1001, F4500.1005). 
     The size of the magazine  500  is designed to be compatible with standard shipping containers, as seen for example in  FIG. 5 . Each magazine  500  may include, for example, thirty carriers  100 . During transport, the magazines  500  are shipped on edge, such that the glass in the solar panels  120   a - h  is shipped in a vertical orientation. This protects the glass from breakage during shipment. The magazine  500  may be configured either as a physical frame structure that surrounds and holds the stack of carriers  100  or may merely refer to a stack of carriers  100  held together as a group without a separate physical frame. As seen in  FIG. 21 , in order for the carriers  100  to stay grouped together without a physical frame, a carrier  100  can have one or more openings  1402  so that when carriers are stacked, a threaded securing member (such as for example, a threaded rod) can be inserted in opening  1402  and topped with bolts to ensure the carriers remain secure in place during transit. Carrier  100  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. 
     Once on-site, a magazine  500  is unloaded from the shipping container by a forklift, as seen in  FIG. 5 . The magazine  500  may optionally include furniture glides along a bottom edge of the magazine (when oriented for shipping) and/or a band around the magazine for allowing removal of the magazine  500  from the shipping container without the need for a fork-lift compatible shipping pallet. In this instance, the magazine is slid from the shipping container onto the forklift. The forklift will place the magazine  500  on a tilt table  610  of an installation trailer  600 . The tilt table  610  is configured to place the magazine  500  into the appropriate position on the installation trailer  600 . This is necessary since, during transport, the magazine  500  is oriented such that the carriers  100  and respective solar panels  120   a - h  are in a vertical orientation and, during installation, the magazine  500  must be oriented such that the carriers  100  and respective solar panels  120   a - h  are in a horizontal orientation. In one embodiment, the tilt table  610  includes rollers  620  on the horizontal surface thereof, and another set of rollers  630 , perpendicular to the horizontal surface, the two sets of rollers being connected to each other. During operation, the magazine  500  is placed on the horizontal surface rollers  620  from the side of the installation trailer  600 , in the same orientation in which it is shipped ( FIG. 5 ), and then the tilt table  610  tilts (along an axis at the connection of rollers  620  and rollers  630 ) to safely orient the magazine  500  so that the panels  120   a - h  are in position for installation ( FIGS. 7 and 8 ). Operation of the tilt table  610  may be motorized and may be computer controlled. In another embodiment, the magazine  500  is placed on the horizontal surface rollers  620  of the tilt table  610  from the back of the installation trailer  600 . In this embodiment, the tilt table  610  will rotate 90° around a vertical axis to align the magazine  500  appropriately before tilting (along the axis at which rollers  620  connect with rollers  630 ) to place the magazine  500  into position on the installation trailer  600 . Once tilted, the perpendicular rollers  630  are used to slide the magazine  500  forward on the installation trailer  600  to a position near installation robot  400  (described in more detail below). The forklift will obtain and place a second magazine  500  on the installation trailer  600  in the same manner. While the inclusion of only two magazines  500  on the installation trailer  600  at one time is discussed, it should be understood that the invention is not limited as such. Further, during installation, as an entire magazine  500  is installed, the forklift may bring additional magazines  500  to the installation queue on the installation trailer  600 . 
     Once loaded with magazines  500 , the installation trailer  600  is aligned with the end of the row of rails  340   a - b  on which the carriers  100  are to be installed. (Alternatively, the trailer  600  may be aligned before magazines are placed on the trailer). Gross alignment of the installation trailer  600  with rails  340   a - b  is achieved by the driver of the trailer  600 . The trailer  600  and/or rails  340   a - b  include a system to assist the driver in placing the trailer within tolerances of the end of the row, in order to allow automated installation with minimal time for positioning. In one embodiment, the installation trailer  600  and rail system  340   a - b  may include light sources  800  (seen e.g., in  FIG. 9 ) and markers  810  (seen e.g., in  FIG. 18 ), respectively, which the driver aligns to determine appropriate horizontal alignment. Alternatively, the light source  800  may be located on the rail system  340   a - b  and the markers  810  located on the installation trailer  600 . In another alternative embodiment, as seen in  FIG. 19 , sharply focused light sources  800 , e.g., lasers, and associated light sensors  815  (connected to circuit  825 ) can be respectively used on the trailer  600  and rail system  340   a - b  which can provide a visual or audible signal through an electrical current  830  when the two are aligned. Further still, the electrical current  830  may provide feedback to a computer controller within the trailer  600  that uses this information to align the trailer  600  and the rails  340   a - b.    
     One embodiment of the installation trailer is seen in greater detail in  FIG. 9 . In the example embodiment, the installation trailer  600  is a three-axle, two level trailer. The previously described tilt table  610  may be located at the back end of the trailer (over the wheels) on the lower of the two levels and the robot  400  (described in more detail below) may be located on the upper level. A push actuator  480  (described in more detail below) for pushing the installed carriers  100  along the rails  340   a - b  is located beneath the upper level, near the robot  400 . Alternatively, the tilt table  610 , robot  400  and push actuator  480  may all be located on top of the lower level of the installation trailer  600 . The installation trailer  600  may also include an additional adjustable mounting system for the robot  400  and or the push actuator  480 , to allow these items to be independently adjusted as compared to the rest of the installation trailer  600 . This may be important, for example, if the ground is not perfectly level, then the separate adjustable mounting system can ensure the robot  400  and push actuator  480  are level with the rails  340   a - b . The installation trailer  600  may also include stanchions  820 , which act to stabilize the trailer as well as vertically align the trailer height with the rails. 
     Before installation of the first carrier  100  onto the rails  340   a - b , fine-tune calibration of the robot  400  must be performed to ensure proper alignment with the magazine  500  and the rails  340   a - b  and proper placement of the carriers  100 . This initial fine-tune alignment may be performed manually or by software programming of a computer within the robot  400 . Manual alignment is performed by the operator, manually moving the robot arm  410  to touch calibration points on the top carrier  100  of the magazine  500  and on the rails  340   a - b . The calibration settings may be stored for use during installation of the entire row of carriers  100 . Alternatively, the robot  400  computer may re-calibrate the alignment periodically throughout the installation process of a particular row. The robot  400  computer also includes information regarding the specifications of the carriers  100 , such as length, width and thickness, for use in calibration and control of the robot arm  410  and movement of the carriers  100  to the rail system  340   a - b . For example, the robot  400  computer includes information regarding the thickness of the carriers  100  so that the decreasing stack height is taken into account during installation of all the carriers  100  in a magazine  500 . 
     Once the installation trailer  600  is in place and the robot  400  has performed the necessary calibration, the individual carriers  100  may be installed on the rail system. In a preferred embodiment, this is done using the specialized robot  400  and vacuum system  430 . The operation of the robot arm  410  and vacuum system  430  during installation will be described in detail following the description of each of their configurations. 
     The robot  400 , as seen for example, in  FIG. 10 , is a specially designed robot  400  that includes a robot arm  410  for picking up and moving the carriers  100  from the magazine  500  on the installation trailer  600  to the desired location on the rails  340   a - b . In one embodiment, the robot arm  410  has a 3.1 meter (10.1 feet) reach and is capable of carrying 325 kg (716 lb). As noted, the robot  400  includes a computer that utilizes programming and simulation software that direct the robot  400  to perform its necessary functions, including carrier  100  removal and placement, and the alignment calibrations including initial alignment to the magazine  500  and initial alignment to the row. As shown in  FIG. 20 , a computer  1000  may be utilized to operate not only the robot  400  but also the push actuator  480 , the vacuum  450  control and the previously described computer controlled alignment system. 
     The vacuum system includes an extruded aluminum frame  460 , shown in  FIG. 11 , that attaches to the end of the robot arm  410  at attachment point  465 . The frame  460  includes suction cups  470  for attaching to and lifting the solar panels  120   a - h . In one preferred embodiment, the frame  460  may include 32 suction cups  470  (e.g., four per solar panel), each of which is 3.3 inches in diameter. The suction cups  470  may be formed of vinyl. The frame  460  may also include only one suction cup  470  per solar panel  120   a - h  in the carrier  100 , for example, eight suction cups  470 . It should be understood however, that any number of suction cups  470  may be used for attaching to and lifting the solar panels  120   a - h  mounted on a carrier  100  as a unit, as would be recognized by one of skill in the art. 
     In one embodiment, the frame  460  may also include extensions  475  that extend from the frame  460 . These extensions  475  prevent the suction cups  470  from sliding along the panels  120   a - h . In another embodiment, the extensions may also be configured such that a portion extends beneath the carrier  460  in order to provide a backup in case a vacuum loss occurs, thus preventing the carrier  100  from falling. The extensions  475  may be configured such that they are movable so that they may be extended after picking up the carrier  100  and release when the carrier  100  is set in place, if desired. 
     The suction cups  470  are connected to a vacuum source  450 . In one embodiment, the vacuum source  450  may provide 20″ Hg of suction with 20 SCFM (standard cubic feet per minute). The conservative lifting force of the vacuum should be approximately 1800 pounds. Additionally, in one preferred embodiment, the vacuum  450  may include a vacuum switch to detect whether or not a carrier  100  is present and also to confirm that no leaks are occurring in the vacuum system  430 . 
     The vacuum source  450  may be, for example, a compressed air and a venturi style manifold system to produce a vacuum. In embodiments including this type of vacuum source  450 , two manifold pumps are provided, each supplying a vacuum to half of the suction cups  470  on the frame  460  (e.g., 16 in a 32 suction cup embodiment). One benefit of this type of vacuum system is that if one pump manifold fails or begins to leak, the other is there as a backup, supplying a vacuum to the other half of the suction cups  470 . If a power loss were to occur, this type of system keeps suction for a short period of time, preventing an immediate loss of vacuum, which would result in dropping the carrier  100 . Another benefit of the compressed air/manifold vacuum system is that the air flow can be rerouted through a solenoid, allowing an air blow-off to occur. This air blow off could be used, for example, to blow debris or water from the solar panels  120   a - h  before enabling the vacuum and/or to enable rapid release of the suction cups  470  from the carrier  100  after installation. 
     The vacuum source  450  may be, alternatively for example, a rotary vane style vacuum pump. In embodiments including this type of vacuum source  450 , a vacuum pump is directly connected to all of the suction cups  470  on the frame  460 . This type of system is not as complex as the compressed air/manifold vacuum system and requires fewer components. Additionally, a vacuum pump has a relatively small footprint (as compared to a compressor system) and consumes approximately half the amount of power as the compressed air and a venturi style manifold system. 
     As would be apparent to one skilled in the art, each of these vacuum sources  450  has particular advantages and disadvantages with respect to its use in the vacuum lift system  430 . Either of the described vacuum sources  450 , or another appropriate vacuum source  450  as determined by one of skill in the art, may be used with the vacuum lift system  450  of the automated installation system of the preferred embodiments. 
     During operation, the robot arm  410 , to which the frame  460  of the vacuum system  430  is attached, moves to align the frame  460  over the first carrier  100 , situated as the top carrier  100  in the magazine  500 , as shown in  FIG. 12 . Once aligned, the vacuum is activated and the suction cups  470  are engaged with the solar panels  120   a - h  of the carrier  100 . In one embodiment, the vacuum system  430  emits a puff of air from the suction cups  470  before the vacuum is activated, in order to clean the glass of the solar panels  120   a - h  to enhance suction of the suction cups  470 . As seen in  FIG. 13 , the robot arm  410  the lifts the carrier  100  off the magazine  500  (and, if applicable, the frame extensions extend to hold the carrier  100  in place during movement) and moves the carrier  100  over to the rail system  340   a - b.    
     As shown in  FIG. 14 , the carrier  100  is placed onto the rail system  340   a - b  from above. It should also be noted that while the carrier  100  is lifted in a horizontal position, that the carrier  100  is rotated at an angle to match the angle of the rails  340   a - b  (e.g., an angle of 45° from horizontal) before being placed on the rails  340   a - b . As previously described, the carrier  100  and rail system  340   a - b  are designed to be compatible and such that the carrier  100  is easily slidable along the rails  340   a - b . Depending on the particular configuration of the rail/carrier system, the carrier  100  may not be able to be placed onto the rail system  340   a - b  from above. For example, if the rails  340   a - b  have a generally T-shaped cross-section, as seen for example in  FIG. 18 , it may be necessary to slide the carrier  100  onto the rails  340   a - b  from the end of the row. Alternatively, the rails  340   a - b  may include a portion near the end of the rails that is configured without the cross portion of the T-shaped rail, such that the carrier  100  may be placed onto the rails  340   a - b  from above and then slid onto the T-shaped portion of the rail. 
     Once the carrier  100  is in place, the vacuum is deactivated and the carrier  100  is released onto the rails  340   a - b , as seen in  FIG. 15 . In one embodiment, the vacuum emits a puff of air to allow quick release of the suction cups  470  from the solar panels  120   a - h  to release the carrier  100 . The robot arm  410  returns to retrieve the next carrier  100  for installation. 
     As seen in  FIGS. 16A-E , once a carrier  100  is placed on the rails  340   a - b , a push actuator  480  pushes the carrier  100  down the rails  340   a - b . As best seen in  FIG. 16A , 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. 16B-D ). As seen in  FIG. 16E , the push actuator  480  may be configured to push more than one carrier  100  at a time, in order to install a plurality of carriers  100  onto the rail system  340   a - b  from the installation trailer  600  location at the end of the row. 
     In order to prevent carriers  100  from being pushed off the opposite end of the rail system  340   a - b , the push actuator  480  must be able to distinguish how far to push the carriers  100 . This is important from both an operation and safety perspective. This may be accomplished by a variety of methods. In one embodiment, the robot computer also monitors and controls the operation of the push actuator  480  with the computer being capable of monitoring how far push actuator  480  has pushed the carriers  100  down the rail system  340   a - b  of a particular row. Once this distance is equal to a known row length, the push actuator  480  stops pushing. In another embodiment, the robot computer keeps track of how many carriers  100  have been installed on the row and only installs as many carriers  100  per row as a preset number stored in the computer. In another embodiment, the push actuator  480  computer senses a preset max pushing force at the actuator  480 , which may, for example, be the force required to push the maximum number of carriers  100  down the row. When the required pushing force is above this max pushing force, the computer controls the push actuator  480  so it stops pushing. This embodiment not only saves the push actuator  480  from pushing the carriers  100  off the end of the rails  340   a - b , but also prevents continued pushing if a carrier  100  were to get stuck on an obstruction on the rails  340   a - b . Alternatively, the computer can control push actuator  480  such that it stops pushing if the carriers  100  are no longer moving. 
     As an alternative to using the push actuator to push the carriers  100  down the rail system a mule and wench system could be used to pull the carriers  100  down the row. As seen in 
       FIG. 22 , a mule  2201  (which may or may not contain solar panels) is installed on the rail system prior to installation of the carriers  100 . This mule  2201  includes an attachment for wench  2200 , which pulls the mule  2201  down the rail system. As each carrier  100  is installed onto the rails  340   a - b , the newly installed carrier  100  is connected to the mule  2201  (if it is the first carrier  100  to be installed) or to the previously installed carrier  100  (for subsequent carriers  100 ). In this way, when the mule  2201  is pulled down the rail system by wench  2200 , it pulls the installed train of carriers  100  along with it. 
     In general, PV-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. ______, (Attorney Docket no. F4500.1004, entitled APPARATUS FACILITATING WIRING OF MULTIPLE SOLAR PANELS, to John Bellacicco and Siddika Pasi), filed concurrently with this application, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. One embodiment of pre-wiring a carrier  100  for connection to a common bus system  280  is shown in  FIGS. 17A-B . As shown in  FIG. 17A , an electrical connector  206  can be provided in the lower surface of the recessed area  110   f  so that when the solar panel  120   f  is placed in a recessed area  110   f , a plug on the bottom of the solar panel  120   f  engages electrical connector  206  to connect it to the common bus system  280 .  FIG. 17A  also shows electrical connectors  208  provided in a sidewall of the recessed areas  110   f  that could be used in lieu of connector  206  to connect wiring  212  to side electrical connectors on a solar panel  120   f . An exemplary electrical connection schematic for a carrier  100  is shown in  FIG. 17B . 
     As shown in  FIG. 17B , the wiring  212  runs from the electrical connectors  206  in each recessed area  110   a - h  into a channel  132   a - b  provided in carrier  100  which run above each attachment area  130   a - b . Each of the channels  132   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  120   a - h  engaged in each recessed area  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 the support structure (as described in the ‘______ application (F4500.1001)),  FIG. 17B  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 of multiple carriers  100  together. In this manner, as the carriers  100  are slid into position on a support structure in the manner discussed above and pressed against each other, corresponding male  216  and female  218  connectors engage to electrically connect the solar panels  120   a - h  carried by 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. 
     Once an entire row of carriers  100  has been installed on the rails  340   a - b  of one row, the installation trailer  600  is moved to the next row of rails  340   a - b  and the entire process is repeated. As previously noted, at any time during the installation process, as the magazines  500  of carriers  100  are installed, additional magazines  500  may be brought to the installation trailer  600 , as described above. 
     As opposed to the labor intensive installation methods currently used, the automated installation system of the preferred embodiments will be able to work, for example, 20 hours per day, 7 days per week (there is still a requirement of some maintenance time on the system). The automated installation system of the preferred embodiments will have the ability to work in a range of outdoor environments and conditions (e.g., hot, cold, windy, snowy, etc.), and at a wide temperature range (−30° F. to 120° F.) and at wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour. Further, the automated installation system of the preferred embodiments is able to achieve an average installation velocity, for example, of less than one minute per carrier  100  (including installation cycle time and system setup time). The automated installation system will increase the rate of panels installed per hour, while decreasing the logistics and system maintenance. The automated installation system of the preferred embodiments allows a significant reduction of installation costs of solar panels and a significant reduction in the time to online operation. 
     While the disclosed embodiments show the installation of carriers containing a plurality of solar panels, the installation system described herein may also be used to install carriers containing only a singular solar panel. Additionally, while the disclosed embodiments show the installation of carriers on a ground mounted rail system, the installation system described herein may also be used for smaller scale installations, such as on a roof. The installation system described herein may also be used for installing solar panels onto a movable mount tracker-type system. 
     While embodiments have been described in detail, it should be readily understood that they are 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.