Patent ID: 8511007

Claim:
A solar support structure comprising: a plurality of sections, each section including a channel member having a flat major wall and opposed side walls extending therefrom, the major wall being substantially covered with a thin film solar laminate, each section further including an electrical connection box positioned adjacent one end and electrically coupled to the thin film solar laminate; the plurality of sections being formed into two roof panels, each roof panel including a portion of the plurality of sections, each roof panel including two channel-shaped beams attached to opposed ends of each section of the portion of the plurality of sections, the channel-shaped beams mounting the portion of the plurality of sections in a parallel abutting relationship; and a plurality of columns mounting the two roof panels in an adjacent and end-to-end orientation with a space formed therebetween, and in a desired orientation relative to an underlying surface, each of the plurality of columns includes a pair of channel shaped beams having a flat major wall and opposed side walls mounted in parallel with each of the channel-shaped beams of the pair of channel shaped beams having flanges extending perpendicularly from each of the opposed side walls inwardly toward each other and the flanges of each of the channel shaped beams of the pair of channel shaped beams abutting and affixed together to define a rectangular opening extending the length of the pair of channel shaped beams, and electrical wiring from the electrical connection boxes positioned in the space and along at least one of the channel-shaped beams and extending into one end of the pair of channel shaped beams of at least one of the plurality of columns and downwardly to an access opening adjacent the bottom of the at least one of the plurality of columns.