A small hardware change. A big leap forward for worker safety.
The Problem Nobody Talks About
Solar carport installation looks straightforward on paper. Set the columns, run the beams, lay the purlins, and clamp down the panels. But on site, that last step — clamping the panels — creates a situation that every experienced installer knows well and nobody likes to discuss.
The panels sit at height. Typically 3 to 5 metres above the ground. To reach the clamp bolt and tighten it properly, workers have to lean over from a platform or, in practice, step onto the panels themselves.
Stepping on panels is dangerous. The surface is slippery when wet. The glass is fragile under point load. A slip or a panel crack is not just a safety incident — it is a warranty void, a replacement cost, and a project delay rolled into one.
The industry has largely accepted this as an unavoidable constraint of carport geometry. Solaracks decided to treat it as an engineering problem.
The Invention: Under-Panel Locking Clamp
We have developed a panel clamp that locks from beneath the panel, not from the top.
The mechanism works entirely from the underside of the frame. The worker positions the clamp from ground level or from a stable platform at purlin height — no need to reach over the panel surface, no need to stand on the glass. The locking bolt is accessible and torque-able from below.
The result is a clamp that:
- Eliminates the need to step on panels during installation
- Reduces working-at-height exposure — less time on elevated platforms, less risk
- Speeds up installation — one person can position and lock without a second worker stabilising from above
- Does not compromise clamping force — the under-panel locking geometry delivers the same holding capacity as a conventional mid-clamp or end-clamp
- Compatible with standard carport purlins — no structural redesign required
Why This Matters for EPC Teams
On a carport project with 200 panels, a worker may perform 400 or more individual clamp operations — two clamps per panel minimum. Every single one of those operations under the old method required working above or across the panel face.
Under-panel locking converts every one of those touchpoints into a safer, more ergonomic motion. It is also faster. Workers can move along the underside of the row continuously without repositioning ladders or platforms.
For EPC project managers, this translates directly into:
- Reduced HSE incident exposure during the most repetitive phase of carport installation
- Lower installation labour cost per panel row
- Fewer panel damages from accidental contact during fixing
- Cleaner handover — no scratched glass, no voided warranties
Engineering Background
Conventional carport panel clamps are adapted from rooftop racking hardware, where the installer stands on a pitched or flat roof surface and has full top-side access. That geometry works well on rooftops.
Carports are different. The panel plane is overhead or at chest height, and the space above the panel is often inaccessible without scaffolding or a mobile elevated work platform (MEWP). Yet most carport clamp designs were inherited directly from rooftop products.
Our under-panel locking clamp was designed from the ground up for carport geometry — where the accessible working direction is always from below, never from above.
Availability
The under-panel locking clamp is available now as part of Solaracks' solar carport hardware range. It is compatible with our standard Y-shaped, H-beam, V-support, and 7-shaped cantilever carport structures.
Contact us for a hardware sample, load data, or to discuss integration into your next carport project.
Solaracks has delivered mounting solutions for over 3 GW of solar installations since 2012. Every product we develop starts with a field problem — because the teams who install these systems deserve hardware that works with them, not against them.