[RE-wrenches] Spot welding PV's to rails for theft prevention: bad idea?

[R Ray Walters]

From the bit of aluminum welding I've done (MIG not the preferred TIG) I'd say it would be pretty hard to do without damaging the laminate.
I actually successfully welded attachments to salvage modules back in the 90s.
Also the alloys are probably different between the module and rail, so even if you welded it without damage, the weld probably would just pop off when the industrious thief started twisting and pulling on it.

I'd look at using a frame of angle iron over the module edges that captures the module. I've seen racks built this way, and then the 2 frames (upper and lower) can be welded together, or locked with a hasp and padlock)
No warranty voided either.
The breakaway nuts are a waste, we used them for a while, broke the "special tool" on a job where we needed to remove a module, and within seconds my very trusty old assistant Russ had the expensive security hardware off with a Leatherman, and a vice grips.....

R. Walters
ray at solarray.com
Solar Engineer




On Mar 4, 2011, at 12:22 PM, Mick Abraham wrote:

> Hello, we mounted some PV onesy modules as high as we could reach without a man-lift, but an enterprising thief could reach just as high. The "side of pole" mounts hold the bolt heads captive so I bought some aluminum "breakaway" nuts. However the nuts have a big diameter which would not fit inside the Kyocera PV frames. 
> 
> Has anyone tried spot welding the PV frames direct to the aluminum rails to which they are mounted? Would this over stress the glass laminate or cause other problems? I realize this would void the Kyo warranty but nothing voids system performance like a stolen PV module. 
> 
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