Learn More »
The PV Pod is a High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) vessel that is filled with water as a ballast and used to mount single PV modules to flat roof tops. Most of the current systems for mounting solar panels involve aluminum “stick-built” racking, and concrete block ballast to counterweight the solar panels from high winds. Such systems are problematic due to the labor cost and complexity of assembly, the need for these “racks” to be contiguous in rows across the roof, and most importantly, the potential of the concrete ballast blocks to be dropped and damage the roof membrane. The PV Pod allows for quick and safe installation by simply loading the roof with plastic tanks, mounting the panels, arranging the array, filling each tank with the specified amount of water ballast, and finally wiring the array together and into the building’s electrical grid. Because there is one Pod for each panel, the layout is flexible. US Utility Patent Pending. Generously supported by the UH Green Building Components grant program
{work_brief}
« Close
April 14, 2015 by metalab
PV-Pod is featured in a Architect Magazaine examining the progess made since winning the 2012 R+D Award. View the full article here.
September 15, 2012 by metalab
July 23, 2012 by metalab
Mike Emery writes on Metalab's receipt of ARCHITECT Magazine's Research and Design Award for PV-POD, a solar panel mounting system designd for flat roof space, as well as several other accolades accrued by principals Vrana and Meppelink in affiliation with UH Green Building Components (UHGBC).
July 11, 2012 by Metalab Admin
July 10, 2012 by metalab
The PV-Pod makes the cover of ARCHITECT Magazine as the winner of the magazine's Research + Development Award 2012. Jurors Gordon Gill, Jinhee Park, and Martina Decker were impressed by the PV-Pod's practicality and simplicity.
June 05, 2012 by Metalab Admin
Some interesting news on the horizon...
November 10, 2009 by metalab
Texas Architect featured several University of Houston Green Building Component projects in its November/December 2009 edition. The article first chronicles the inception of the UHGBC and then feature press for early iterations of PV-Pod and SPACE from designers at Metalab and their student and industry collaborators.