KeepingSolarPanelsSecureonUnstableGround

Intheworldofenergy,solarisgainingground. Althoughsomeofthatgroundmaynotbeas Friendlyasthesolarindustrywouldlike.

Groundmounted solar power systems are being installed in commercial and residential applications throughout the USA in increasing numbers. Whether the solar power system utilizes Photovoltaic(PV)technologiessuchasfixedtilt,singleaxis,ordualaxistrackers,oraConcentratedSolar Power(CSP)system,suchastheparabolictrough,thereisonethingthateachofthesesystemshasin common...theyareonlyasgoodastheirfoundation. Thesolarmodulesarethegreatestassetinanysolarpowerinstallation.Whilethecostofsolar modules can vary greatlydepending on their type, quality, and size, one thing is certain, they are not cheap.Solarmodulesalonecanaccountforbetween5060%ofthetotalsolarpowersystemcost.This illustrateshowimportantitistomakesurethatthesolarmoduleshaveastable,securesupportsystem and foundation regardless of the type of installation method. When the only thing protecting your $30,000$40,000vehicle,nottomentionyourfamily,at70MPHisfourtires,theybetterbegood,high qualitytires.Thatsameprincipleapplieswheninstallingsolarmodules.Protectthemostvaluableasset byprovidingaquality,engineeredfoundation. Whenitcomestosupportingsolarmodulesthereareseveraldifferentmethodsthatarebeing usedinthesolarindustryincludingthefollowing: Concreteballastedfootings Drivenpiles Screwtypeearthauger Concretepiers Ballastmaterial(rocks)dumpedintoholdingtraysthatareattachedtothesolarmounting structure.

 KNOWTHEENVIRONMENT Choosing the right solar module support method involves understanding a variety of environmentalfactorssuchassoilconditions,geographiclocation,andregionalwindspeedstonamea few.Otherimportantfactorsthatneedtobeconsideredincludesoilmechanicssuchasconsolidation, permeability and seepage, bearing capacity, lateral earth pressure, slope stability, as well as wind engineeringtodeterminepotentialforcesorloadsthatthesolarmoduleinstallationwillbesubjectto, based on panel size, panel weight, geographic orientation, etc. Each of these factors needs to be carefully considered for each and every solar system installation in order to minimize the risk of downtimecausedbydamageorfailuretothesystemcomponentsandtheninturnmaximizetheROIor returnoninvestmentofthesystem. WithnorealSolarInstallationBestPracticeGuidelinesavailablefordesigners,manufacturers, orinstallerstoreferenceorfollow,itfallstoeachindividualprojectpersonneltoensurethattheproper environmentalandengineeringfactorsareconsideredduringthedesign,development,andinstallation of the solar power system. This results in confusion within the solar industry as to what minimum requirements are and what installation method is best for a given application. Everyday there is a likelihood that solar modules are being installed somewhere in the US without giving the proper consideration to the environmental and engineering factors related to the project. This is a failure waitingtohappen.Therightrainconditions,therightwindconditions,equalthewrongoutcome. Whenemployingdrivenpiles,screwaugers,orconcretepiers,itisessentialtoconsiderallofthe environmental factors involved to reduce the risk of hole widening or pole tilting due to ground consolidation,panelrotationduetowindforces,soilsaturation,lateralearthpressure,etc.whichcan directly affect the orientation and therefore the efficiency of the panels, and which can also cause damage to the electrical connections below ground requiring costly repair. When utilizing precast ballasted footings or ballasted trays it is imperative to understand wind loads, slope stability, soil permeabilityandseepage,etc,toknowhowwindloadscancauseoverturningorsliding. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is encouraging renewable energy developmentoncurrentandformerlycontaminatedlandandminingsites.TheEPAhas identified thousands of properties that could potentially host solar, wind or biomass energy production facilities. The EPA used information on properties from several land cleanup programs, including abandoned mine lands and lands under EPAs Superfund, Brownfields,andResourceConservationandRecoveryActprograms. EnvironmentalProtectionAgency2009 President Obama and Congress are pushing to identify thousands of contaminated landfills and abandoned mines that could be repurposed to house wind farms,solararraysandgeothermalpowerplants. WhiteHouse2009 Whilethedrivenpilemethodwastheoriginalpreferredmethodforinstallingsolarmodules,the increasingrepurposeoflandfillsandcontaminatedsuperfundsitesashometosolarfarmshastheuseof PrecastConcreteBallastedFootingsquicklygaininginpopularity.Landfillsandcontaminatedsuperfund sites are ideal candidates for solar farms because they are considered already disturbed lands and

thereby relieve the pressure to develop on undisturbed or uncontaminated lands. However, many of thesesitesdonotpermitorallowgroundpenetrationforobviousreasons.Onceyougetpastthethree feet of top cap soil, you reach the contaminated soil below. This is one area where precast ballasted footingswinoutoverdrivenpilesbecausetheyprovideanonpenetratingsolution.Otherareaswhere precast ballasted footings are finding success, is in solar installations going in over bedrock where penetrationisdifficultifnotimpossible,solarinstallationswithhighwatertables,andinstallationswith adversesoilconditionssuchascorrosivesoilsorsoilswithpoorpassiveearthpressurecharacteristics.In additiontonotpenetratingtheground,precastballastedfootingsofferavarietyofotherbenefitssuch as: NosoilPenetration. Minimalsiteexcavation/preparationneeded. Speedofdeliveryandinstallation Eliminatestheneedforcastinplaceconcreteandallassociatedissuesincludingforming, pouring,anddrytimewhichcandictatethepaceoftheinstallationprocess. Accommodatesmostsitelocationsandconditions. Designperformanceisbasedonsolarassetweightwhichisknownprecisely.(onthe contrarydrivenpilesrelyonassumedpassivesoilpressuresandotherassumptions) If designed, and manufactured properly, precast concrete ballasted footings will outlast the solar modules they support and should be viewed as a durable asset that in most cases can be repurposedfromonedecommissionedsolarprojecttoanewsolarproject.Havingaclearunderstanding of the environmental and engineering factors involved in a solar project and then manufacturing and installing the solar power system based on those factors, will greatly increase the efficiency and life expectancyoftheindividualcomponentsaswellasthesolarpowersystemasawhole. POTENTIALPITFALLS&FAILURESTOCONSIDER Whendesigningballastedconcretefootingsthereare3stabilityissuesthatmustbeconsidered: Overturning(uplift) Sliding Overshading OVERTURNING(UPLIFT) Excessivewindloadforcescancauseoverturningmoments(whatiscommonlyreferredtoasuplift). Figure1OverturningonBallastedFootingSystemFigure2OverturningonPostMountSystem

Overturning on a precast ballasted system, FIGURE 1, results from a failure of the ballasted footingtosuccessfullycounterexcessivewindloads.(Thismeansthefootingwasthewrongweightand orsizefortheapplication.) Overturning on a pile driven or post mount system, FIGURE 2, results from a failure of the mountinghardware,rackingsystem,orpost/soilinteractionduetoexcessivewindloads. HOWTOAVOIDOVERTURNING(UPLIFT) Therearetwodesignoptionstoresisttheoverturningforces(uplift)causedbythewind.The firstissimplybyaddingweightorwhatiscommonlyreferredtoasdeadload.Thisiscomprisedofthe combinedweightofthesolarelectricalsystem(panels,racking,connections,etc.)plustheselfweightof theballastedfooting.Inadditionthereneedstobeenoughdeadloadtoallowforanadditionalsafety factorthatmeetsorexceedslocalbuildingcodestandards.Thesecondandmostimportantoptionis howthedeadloadisdistributedgeometrically.Carefulthoughtandrigorousdesignprinciplesprovide theexactlength,width,andthicknessoftheballastedfooting. Theorientationoftheballastedfootingwithrespecttothesolarelectricalsystemalsoplaysa keyroleindeterminingthesizeandgeometryofthefooting,whichhasadirectimpactonoverturning potential. FIGURE 3 illustrates two different ballasted footing layouts for the same solar electrical system.Althoughtheballastedfootingsarethesameexactdimensionsandweight theybehavevery differentlyduetotheirorientation. Figure3VaryingBallastedFootingOrientationFigure4SlidingOfBallastedFootings SLIDING Sliding is a potential failure that should be considered when designing ballasted footings. Although not as catastrophic as overturning, sliding can occur due to the wind induced forces on the solar array system. The wind not only tries to push the Solar Array system horizontally, but it also createsaliftwhichreducestheactualdeadloadoftheentiresystem,seeFIGURE4.Thisreduceddead load coupled with the horizontal wind force is what creates the possibility of a solar module and its foundationslidinghorizontally.TakingintoconsiderationthetypeofSubgradematerialonwhichthe ballastedfootingswillbeinstalledistheprimaryfactortoprovideresistancetosliding.Theidealtypeof Subgradeisawelldrainedgranularcoursematerialsuchassand. OVERSHADING Anothercommonmistakeistoinstallrowsofsolarmodulestooclosetogetherwhichresultsin overshading.Indrivenpileorpostmountapplicationsthiscanresultfromnotfullyunderstanding theaffectthatachangeinheightcanhaveonthewayshadowsfallonthesolarsystemasawhole.With precastballastedfootingsthiscanoccurasaresultofalteringthethicknessoftheballastedfootinginan

attempttoaddweightwhenadditionalweightisrequiredduetoregionsofhigherwindspeeds.Thicker ballastedfootingscouldincreasetheoverallheightofthesolarelectricalsystemwhichcouldrequirean increaseindistancebetweenrowstoeliminatepossibleadjacentrowovershading,seeFigures5&6. Figure5OvershadingonBallastedFootingSystemFigure6OvershadingonPostMount System HOWTOAVOIDOVERSHADING Having precise knowledge of the path of the sun as well as a clear understanding of the significant seasonal 47degree solar elevation angle difference above the horizon, and the sunrise/sunset solar azimuth angle from summer to winter is essential to prevent mistakes when positioningthesolarmodulesinasolarinstallation.Thiswillallowthecorrectheighttobecalculatedfor eitheradrivenpileorballastedfootinginstallation.Whenadditionalweightisrequiredinthedesignof aballastedfootingtoaccountforhigherwindswithinagivenregion,thedesigner/engineermusttake intoaccountthepossibilityofaddingtheweighttothelengthandorwidthoftheballastedfootingto preventanunwantedincreaseinheight. OTHERFACTORSTOCONSIDER BearingPressures: Oncethefootinghasbeendesigned(sized)topreventoverturningandslidingfailure,thesoilbearing pressuresshouldbecheckedtoensurethattheyareincompliancewithasoilsengineersreportthat mayspecifymaximumbearingpressures. ENGINEERINGANDDESIGNCONSIDERATIONSFORBALLASTEDFOOTINGS One of the biggest misconceptions within the solar industry in regards to precast concrete ballastedfootingsisthatthefootingsizeandtheunitcostaredirectlyrelatedtotheenergyoutputor wattsofthesolarelectricalsystem.Thiscouldnotbefartherfromthetruth.Thefootingdesignshave nothingtodowiththepoweroutputorpriceperwatt,andeverythingtodowiththefollowing: Tiltangleandtrackingcharacteristicsofthesolarpowersystem. Localdesignwindspeedswherethesolarpowersystemistobeinstalled. Supportandrackingconfiguration. Overallsolarmodulesystemsizeandweight. Localdesigncodesandprojectrequirements. Soilcharacteristicsrelativetofriction,sliding,consolidation,slopestability,etc.

TiltAngle: Tomaximizetheoutputofthesolarpowersystem,especiallyinPVSolarArrayapplications,the optimaltiltangleistypicallyspecifiedfornontrackingsystems,andremainsfixed. Structurally,highertiltanglesresultinanincreasedwindloadonthesolarmodulewhichwouldrequire a larger ballasted footing. In addition, higher tilt angles may require an increase in distance between rows to eliminate adjacentrow overshading, see FIGURE 5. A lower tilt angle is often desired to minimize the wind forces and reduce the ballasted footing size. This may not be feasible in areas of substantialsnowfallwhereanincreasedtiltanglemayberequiredtoshedsnowoffofthesolarmodule effectively.Alowertiltanglealsoresultsinreducedadjacentrowovershadingpotentialwhichallows the module rows to be spaced closer together. A cost comparison could be done to compare the tilt angle versus the adjacentrow overshading versus the ballasted footing size. In addition, lower tilt anglesallowformorecompactutilizationofthelandavailablebyminimizingtheunusableareathatisin shadethusofferinganopportunityformoresolarmodules. WindSpeed: The most significant impact on the ballasted footing design is due to the local design wind speed.ThelocaldesignwindspeedcanbefoundfromtheInternationalBuildingCode,IBC,orfrom thelocalbuildingdepartmentwherethesolarpowersystemistobeinstalled.Itisimperativetoget the correct design wind speed as it has a direct impact on the footing dimensions, and thereby the economicsoftheproject.Theforceonthesolarpowersystemfromthewindisdirectlyrelatedtothe 2 windspeedsquared,V . DesignCodes: Currently there are no design specifications or prescribed methodology that applies to the design of foundations for solar power systems. Depending on which engineer you ask, you will get a differentanswerbasedontheengineersacademicbackgroundandexperience,orlackthereof.The mainproblemfacingdesignengineersofsolarpowersystemsishowwindloadsfactorintothefunction andperformanceofthecomponents.TheACSEwindcodeisthemostapplicableandindustryapproved standard.Thechallengeisidentifyingandinterpretingtherightpartofthecode,andthenapplyingitto solarpowersystems. CONCLUSION At Oldcastle Precast, reliability is the cornerstone of everything we do and it is what thousandsofsatisfiedcustomershavecometoexpect.Wehavetheequipmentandtheexpertiseto handle even the most challenging jobs, from concept to install and every step in between. We considerourselvestheleaderinthemarketplacewithregardstodeliveringafullyengineeredsystemto accommodateanysolarpowerconfigurationandmeettheneedsoftheenduser. The leadership of Oldcastle Precast has completed an R&D initiative related to the design of riskmitigatedsolarfoundationproducts.Thisprojecthasculminatedinthedevelopmentofproprietary softwarethatallowsustoprovideourcustomerswithproductsthathavebeenengineeredtoperform atthehighestlevelsintheindustry. OldcastlePrecastwillassistinsmartdesignsmakinginstallationandfabricationatthejobsite easierandfaster.Wewillprovideyouwithaninstallationmanualandbeatthejobsiteondayoneto insureasuccessfulproject.Wehaveateamdevotedtosupplyingyouwithawiderangeofservicesand products. At Oldcastle Precast we are committed to delivering the reliability that has made us the IndustryLeader.

 SourceInformation
TheEnvironmentalProtectionAgency(EPA)2009
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is encouraging renewable energy development on current and formerly contaminated land and mining sites. The EPA has identified thousands of properties that could potentially host solar, wind or biomass energy production facilities. The EPA used information on properties from several land cleanup programs, including abandonedminelandsandlandsunderEPAsSuperfund,Brownfields,andResourceConservationandRecoveryActprograms.

http://www.epa.gov/renewableenergyland/

WhiteHouse009EnvironmentalStatement
PresidentObamaandCongressarepushingtoidentifythousandsofcontaminatedlandfillsandabandonedminesthatcouldberepurposedto housewindfarms,solararraysandgeothermalpowerplants.

http://wwwp.dailyclimate.org/tdcnewsroom/2009/10/greenshootsfrombrownfields

LarryJ.Miller,P.E.|JacksonBishop|OldcastlePrecast,Inc.,7921SouthParkPlaza,Suite200,Littleton,CO|8889653227| www.Oldcastleprecast.com/energy October2009V1