Solar Carport Brackets: The Sturdy Arms Supporting Green Energy
In the context of growing energy transition and environmental awareness, solar carports, as a facility integrating practicality and environmental protection, are gradually entering people's vision. They not only provide shelter for vehicles against sun and rain but also convert solar energy into electricity through photovoltaic (PV) modules on the top, realizing the production and utilization of clean energy. In this system, although solar carport brackets seem low-profile, they are the key to ensuring the stable operation and efficient power generation of the entire carport. Next, let's delve into the PV knowledge behind solar carport brackets.
I. Diverse Structures with Distinct Advantages
(一) Double-pitch Herringbone Beam Structure – the Widely Used Stable Champion
The double-pitch herringbone beam structure is regarded as the mainstream choice among solar carport brackets, highly recognized for its stability. From the perspective of structural mechanics, this structure has an extremely clear force transmission path. Various loads borne by the carport, such as the self-weight of PV panels, wind pressure, and snow pressure, are first transmitted through purlins to the herringbone main beams. The main beams usually adopt the form of triangular trusses or solid web beams. The stability of the triangle makes the entire structure form a stable triangular unit in the transverse direction of the carport, effectively resisting lateral wind forces and torsional forces. The double-pitch roof design facilitates snow sliding, reducing the accumulation of snow loads on the carport; a reasonably designed slope can also reduce wind resistance and suction, ensuring the safety of the carport in windy and snowy weather. However, the strength and span design of the main beams are crucial and need to be accurately calculated and designed according to actual project conditions.
(二) Single-pitch Structure – the Flexible Choice for Specific Sites
The single-pitch structure is suitable for specific sites, such as carports built against walls. In this structure, the rear support is the key to ensuring stability. A reliable connection must be established between the rear column and the rear wall (if any) to ensure the overall stability of the carport. Since the single slope may bear greater wind pressure or suction under specific wind directions (e.g., wind directly facing the slope), the design of the main beam, column, and foundation requires special reinforcement. Compared with the double-pitch structure, the single-pitch structure may save slightly more materials, but safety cannot be compromised at all. In open areas or regions with strong winds, its stability is generally weaker than that of the double-pitch structure, so site wind conditions must be fully considered when selecting it.
(三) Portal Frame Structure – the Powerful Guarantee for Large-span Requirements
The portal frame structure is widely used in large solar carports or those with special structural requirements. This structure is characterized by rigid connections between beams and columns, forming a portal frame, which has excellent overall stiffness and strong lateral displacement resistance, making it particularly suitable for building large-span carports. However, its node construction is relatively complex, with high requirements for processing accuracy and construction quality, and the corresponding cost will increase. Nevertheless, for large parking lots, commercial centers, and other places that require large-area carport coverage and have span requirements, the portal frame structure can well meet the needs and provide stable and reliable support.
II. High-quality Materials Laying a Solid Foundation
(一) Hot-dip Galvanized Steel – the Perfect Combination of Strength and Durability
Hot-dip galvanized steel is the preferred material for solar carport brackets. Steel itself has excellent tensile and compressive strength, capable of reliably bearing various loads faced by the carport during use. The hot-dip galvanizing process provides the steel with a long-lasting corrosion protection armor, enabling it to maintain good performance in harsh outdoor environments, such as long-term exposure to sunlight and rain, or salt spray erosion in coastal areas, ensuring that the main structure of the bracket has a service life of more than 25 years. In addition, the processing technology of hot-dip galvanized steel is mature, and structural connection methods, whether welding or bolted connections, are very reliable, providing a solid foundation for the stable construction of the carport.
(二) Aluminum Alloy – the Advantageous Choice for Lightweight and Corrosion Resistance
Aluminum alloy is applied in specific scenarios, especially in coastal areas with high requirements for material corrosion resistance, due to its light weight and good corrosion resistance. Compared with steel, aluminum alloy is lighter, which helps reduce the overall weight of the bracket to a certain extent, facilitating installation and transportation. However, its stiffness is slightly lower than that of steel, so a more optimized structural design is often required to make up for this material characteristic under the same strength requirements. Meanwhile, the cost of aluminum alloy materials is relatively high, which also limits its widespread application to a certain extent. However, for projects sensitive to weight or with special anti-corrosion requirements, aluminum alloy is still a good choice.
(三) Stainless Steel – the Special Choice for Extreme Environments
Stainless steel has the best corrosion resistance, but its high cost makes it less cost-effective. It is generally only used locally in extremely corrosive environments or for special requirements. For example, in some chemical parks and other areas with strong corrosive substances, when the anti-corrosion performance of carport brackets is extremely required, stainless steel can be used for the production of key components to ensure the long-term stable operation of the carport in harsh environments. However, due to cost factors, stainless steel does not have the same advantages as hot-dip galvanized steel and aluminum alloy in large-scale applications.
III. Stable Design with Details Making a Difference
(一) Professional Design and Accurate Calculation
Professional design and calculation are the core prerequisites for ensuring the stability of solar carport brackets. The bracket of any structural form must be designed by professional structural engineers. Engineers need to carry out comprehensive load calculations, structural designs, and mechanical checks in strict accordance with national building structure load codes based on specific parameters such as wind pressure, snow pressure, and seismic fortification intensity at the project site. In this process, the cross-sectional dimensions, wall thickness, spacing, etc., of main beams, columns, purlins, braces, and other components must be accurately calculated to ensure full compliance with safety requirements. Only through rigorous design and calculation can a solid theoretical foundation be laid for the stability of the carport bracket.
(二) Strong Foundation for Stable Support
As the saying goes, "a stable foot ensures a stable body." For solar carport brackets, a strong foundation is the key to ensuring overall stability. Foundation forms are diverse, including independent foundations, strip foundations, pile foundations, etc. The specific selection of the form and the size of the foundation must be accurately designed according to the geological survey report and the upper structure load. The depth, specifications of embedded parts, and concrete strength grade must all meet strict standards to ensure that the loads borne by the carport are safely and reliably transmitted to the foundation. In frozen soil areas, special attention must be paid to the foundation depth, which must be below the frozen soil layer to prevent the foundation from being damaged by the freezing and swelling of the frozen soil, thereby affecting the stability of the carport.
(三) Reliable Connections to Strengthen the Whole
Node Connections: In the solar carport bracket system, the reliability of node connections is of vital importance. The connection methods and strengths of key nodes such as main beams and columns, columns and foundations, and purlins and main beams are directly related to the stability of the entire structure. Welded nodes require full and defect-free welds to ensure the strength and integrity of the connection; bolted connections need to be tightened strictly according to the design torque and equipped with anti-loosening measures to prevent bolts from loosening due to factors such as vibration during long-term use, thus affecting structural safety.
Brace and Support Systems: Reasonable setting of brace and support systems is an important measure to improve the overall stability of the carport bracket and prevent instability. Setting column bracings and roof horizontal bracings in the longitudinal and transverse directions of the carport can effectively enhance the structural resistance to wind and earthquake conditions. These support systems are like the "skeletal supports" of the carport, which can work together in critical moments to resist external loads and ensure that the carport remains stable in harsh environments.
(四) Special Wind-resistant Design to Resist Wind Hazards
Wind load is often one of the greatest threats faced by solar carports, so special wind-resistant design is essential. In the design process, the wind load shape coefficient should be reasonably determined, which needs to comprehensively consider factors such as the shape, size, and surrounding environment of the carport. For the corner areas of the carport, where the wind pressure is the greatest, fixed measures need to be strengthened, such as increasing the number of fixed points and using more solid connectors. At the same time, PV panels should be firmly fixed with wind-proof clamps or 压块 (pressure blocks) to prevent them from being blown off in strong winds. In addition, the anti-overturning and anti-pulling capabilities of the structure under wind suction need to be strictly checked to ensure that the carport can operate safely and stably in various wind conditions.
As an important part of the solar carport system, the structural form, material selection, and design points of solar carport brackets are directly related to the stability and service life of the carport. In the actual construction process, it is necessary to comprehensively consider factors such as the environmental conditions, use requirements, and economic costs of the project site, select the most suitable bracket scheme, and strictly follow professional design and construction specifications. Only in this way can a solid, durable, efficient, and environmentally friendly solar carport be created, contributing to the development of green energy.
