Project number
27011
Organization
Kanab Solar
Offering
ENGR498-F2026-S2027
The rapid growth of commercial scale rooftop solar creates a logistical bottleneck: field crews must manually lift heavy photovoltaic (PV) panel arrays onto the roof, align them, and then perform all wiring. This “lift and install” step consumes ≈ 30 % of total crew labor time and introduces a high risk of injury.
The senior capstone team will develop a modular Solar Array Lift-and-Place (SALP) system that can lift a preassembled solar panel module from a flatbed trailer to the roof. The lift can easily be attached to the trailer and adjusted for different roof heights. The lift will be easy to operate and will provide a safe method to move the solar panel module from the trailer to the roof. By decoupling the heavy lifting operation from the final attachment, the system is expected to reduce on site crew labor by at least 20 % and improve overall site safety.
The senior capstone team will develop a modular Solar Array Lift-and-Place (SALP) system that can lift a preassembled solar panel module from a flatbed trailer to the roof. The lift can easily be attached to the trailer and adjusted for different roof heights. The lift will be easy to operate and will provide a safe method to move the solar panel module from the trailer to the roof. By decoupling the heavy lifting operation from the final attachment, the system is expected to reduce on site crew labor by at least 20 % and improve overall site safety.