Securing and sealing a solar panel from the inside of a metal enclosure

[JF_Ouellet]

Fist time I post on this forum. I am electrical engineer so I have limited exposure to mechanical terms, sorry in advance.

I have a metal enclosure, a painted metal square "post" that is 7"x7" x42" tall and I need to fix some solar panels from the inside of the box. I obviously need to secure those panels properly but also need to ensure that no water can enter the enclosure through the seal. The solar panel is a tempered glass sandwich of roughly 4.5mm thick, no frame, no holes. There is 4 solar panels to be installed, on the 4 surfaces of the square post. It sounds like a simple question but it involve many sub-aspects that can be tricky (To me anyway). Someone might have a easy, simple solution that I haven't thought of. Thanks in advance.

I hope I posted this question in the right section of the Forum.

I attached a sketch to show the physical limitation. There is some aspects that need to be considered:
1- There is 0.5" of overlap between the solar panels (pink in the picture) and the enclosure.
2- Ideally the seal could be removable in case we need to replace the solar panel.
3- Do I need a mechanical retainer (Green in the picture) to keep my panel in place in addition to the glue/seal, if so how could I secure those L shaped retainers.
4- What type of seal should I use, I am not familiar with the manufacturer providing those products.
5- This will be installed in public areas so it obviously need to be "Drunk asshole" proof, the first thing that someone would do is to come and push on the panels from the outside, I don't want the panels to just pop in.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[IRstuff]

You've specified conflicting requirements. If drunkards are going to "push" on the top, then no mechanical seal will survive without seriously thick metal. and putting the panels in the back just makes it that much easier to break the seal or the panel or both. Why not install the panels on top of the plate with NO holes?

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[dgallup]

Vertical panels on 4 sides? That seems wasteful, surely 3 of the 4 will produce virtually no power and the 4th one very little.

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The Help for this program was created in Windows Help format, which depends on a feature that isn't included in this version of Windows.

 

[JF_Ouellet]

The 4 sides panels is a design choice for the simplicity in installation... now no need for orienting the unit towards the south... it will always be oriented towards the south.

Back to my question.

I have 17" x 6" glass panels. I want to secure them from the inside of an enclosure.
If I use silicon or another gasket on a 1/2" overlap all around the panel, and come securing the whole thing with a L shape extruded aluminum piece. It will be secured at the two extremities of the panels... so fasteners will be roughly at 17 or 18" distance.

1. Would a 1"x1" L shape angled extruded alluminum piece bend on a 18" lenght secured at both ends? I am concerned that as I torque it down against the seal it will create a bow shape that will apply pressure on the extremities but not at the center of the seal.

2. What type of seal would be the best for this application? (Glass against powder coated metal)

 

[IRstuff]

If you insist on going that route, why not put the clamps on the long sides? That would reduce the distance by 2/3rd.

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[JF_Ouellet]

Any suggestions on Clamps? I am digging through the craziness of internet, not much success. Do you have Clamps manufacturers?
The problem with the clamps on the long side is that I have really not much clearance to install them. I would have to upsize the entire unit to fit them in. And it is already larger than desired.