{"id":107496,"key":"Open-Source_Vertical_Swinging_Wood-Based_Solar_Photovoltaic_Racking_Systems","title":"Open-Source Vertical Swinging Wood-Based Solar Photovoltaic Racking Systems","latest":{"id":1273091,"timestamp":"2026-09-16T12:50:26Z"},"content_model":"wikitext","license":{"url":"https://www.appropedia.org/Appropedia:Copyrights","title":"CC-BY-SA-4.0"},"source":"{{Solar footer}}\n\n[[Image:Vertical Swinging Wooden PV Racking Graphical Abstract.jpg|thumb]]\n\n{{FAST notice}}\n\n{{Publication data\n| type = Paper\n| cite-as = Vandewetering, N., Hayibo, K. S., & Pearce, J. M. (2023). Open-Source Vertical Swinging Wood-Based Solar Photovoltaic Racking Systems. Designs, 7(2), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.3390/designs7020034\n[https://www.academia.edu/97333817/Open_Source_Vertical_Swinging_Wood_Based_Solar_Photovoltaic_Racking_Systems academia open access]\n| year = 2023\n| location = London, ON, Canada\n}}\n\n{{Project data\n| status = Designed, Modelled\n| verified-by = FAST\n| made = No\n| replicated = No\n}}\n\nVertical bifacial solar photovoltaic (PV) racking systems offer the opportunity for large-scale agrivoltaics to be employed at farms producing field crops with conventional farming equipment. Unfortunately, commercial proprietary vertical racks cost more than all types of conventional PV farm racking solutions. To overcome these cost barriers, this study reports on the development of a new wood-based PV racking design. The open-source design consists of a hinge mechanism, which reduces mechanical loading and enables wood to be used as the main structural material, and is the first of its kind. This open-source vertical wood-based PV rack is (i) constructed from locally accessible (domestic) renewable and sustainable materials, (ii) able to be made with hand tools by the average farmer on site, (iii) possesses a 25-year lifetime to match PV warranties, and (iv) is structurally sound, following Canadian building codes to weather high wind speeds and heavy snow loads. The results showed that the capital cost of the racking system is less expensive than the commercial equivalent and all of the previous wood-based rack designs, at a single unit retail cost of CAD 0.21. The racking LCOE is 77% of the cost of an equivalent commercial racking system using retail small-scale component costs, and is 22%, 34%, and 38% less expensive than commercial metal vertical racking, wood fixed tilt racking, and wood seasonal tilt racking costs, respectively. Overall, wooden vertical swinging PV racking provides users with a low-cost, highly available alternative to conventional metal vertical racking, along with a potential increase in energy yield in high wind areas thanks to its unique swinging mechanism.\n\n* https://certification.oshwa.org/ca000025.html\n\n[[File:Vertical Swinging Wooden PV Racking Graphical Abstract.jpg|right|frameless|486x486px]]\n\n{{Pearce publications notice}}\n\n== Keywords ==\n\n [[Sustainable development]]; [[Open-source]]; [[Photovoltaic]]; racking; solar energy; biomaterials; wood; photovoltaic; mechanical design; balance of systems; renewable energy; open source; do-it-yourself; agrivoltaics\n\n== See also ==\n\n* [[To Catch the Sun]]\n* [[3-D printable photovoltaic module spacer]]\n* [[Open source DIY solar photovoltaic racking]]\n* ---\n* [https://gitlab.com/go-commons/delftopenhardware/circular-pv-panel Circular PV panel]\n\n{{OS-PV-racks}}\n\n{{Pearce-agrivoltaics}}\n\n{{Page data\n| title-tag = Open-Source Vertical Swinging PV Racking\n| part-of = FAST Completed\n| authors = User:Nicholas.Vandewetering, User:Khayibo, User:J.M.Pearce\n| keywords = energy, solar energy, solar power, photovoltaics, sustainable development, Mechanical engineering, Racking, biomaterials, wood, mechanical design, balance of systems, renewable energy, DIY, Environmental\n| sdg = SDG07 Affordable and clean energy, SDG08 Decent work and economic growth, SDG09 Industry innovation and infrastructure, SDG11 Sustainable cities and communities\n| published = 2023\n| organizations = FAST, Western University\n| language = en\n}}\n\n[[Category:FAST Completed]]\n[[Category:Solar power]]\n[[Category:Solar energy]]\n[[Category:Photovoltaics]]\n[[Category:sustainable development]]\n[[Category:Mechanical engineering]]\n[[Category:Energy]]\n[[Category:Wood]]\n[[Category:Renewable energy]]\n[[Category:DIY]]"}