I have invented a very simple alteration to solar panel frame and mounting design that can make any brand or type of rigid solar panel into an interlocking waterproof roof (or wall), not requiring any seals, sealants, or cover strips, or even any tools or fasteners to mount the panels! I wrote to your magazine a couple of years ago and got some strong interest from a couple of US carport installation companies, but they weren’t really in the right situation in the industry.

The changes need to be incorporated during panel manufacture, so I need to contact a manufacturing firm that is interested in getting into the direct cladding market in a big way.

I note that Europe (particularly France and UK) is also pushing for more use of solar carports and roofs, so the potential world-wide market is huge, particularly if there is no cost penalty, and the system has simple, maintenance-free weatherproofing properties.

There are thousands of solar carports and shelters already in existence around the world, and they are all either:
– not weatherproof.
– if weatherproof, overly expensive and complicated.
– mostly poorly designed as either effective carports or solar collectors (they must generally run east-west in either hemisphere to satisfy both requirements).

The most obvious target would be a company like Tesla that manufactures panels, has their own installation network, plus builds large numbers of their own EV charging stations and big buildings.

I am a semi-retired self-employed building designer, living in a small town in country South Australia. I have extensive experience designing roofing systems and carports, plus have tertiary electrical qualifications and my son owns a mid-sized solar installation company, so I am pretty familiar with the general industry. I have not patented the system but wish to sell it outright to an interested company. I have an animated presentation am prepared to travel to show it to any genuinely interested individual(s) who are in a position to purchase it and exploit the potential.

The truly visionary people at the top of modern businesses are notoriously difficult to contact if you are not already in the network, plus there is only one fairly dinky manufacturer in Australia, so I seek your help to find the right person please. (If I end up coming to the US, I would be happy to drop by and show it to you.)

Cheers

Bob Tumath