Photo Credit, Maximilian Dedden
Back in 2023, University of California (UC) Davis had a small set of Sunzaun vertical bifacial racking installed – three rows of three modules – to support early agrivoltaics research. Sunstall donated so the university could begin exploring how vertical solar might work alongside crops in California farmland.
Two years later, and after immense collaboration, the research site looks quite different.
Living in the USA is a lifelong dream for many people and it was mine too. Thanks to Sunstall, I was able to take that step.
Having many other uses, steel piles are often used to build the foundations for utility-scale PV applications. In use, they become exposed to different types of corrosion of various extents. Some of the main elements that impact the level of corrosion are pile shape, driving method and the type of material. Common shapes include H-piles, pipe-piles, screw piles and disc piles – all of which can have different material types. H-piles have become the most used for solar structures, because they have very good structural characteristics. This allows them to be well-suited for the loads seen in solar installations.
In general, corrosion takes place when two different metals come into contact with a conductive liquid, resulting in a flow of DC electricity. Pile corrosion can be divided into two groups: Atmospheric and soil corrosion.
Pile Load Testing helps to reduce cost and avoids economic losses if interpreted the right way. Sometimes project developers are getting the sticker shock when they hear the price for a load test, especially when it is a small project where the cost impact is high. Let’s us convince you that it is in your best interest that this is done professionally with the proper procedures. One single workflow will provide you multiple benefits for your project. Read more
Pile driving quality goes to the very foundations of a PV array, quite literally. Helge Biernath, CEO of Sunstall, speaks to pv magazine about the importance of getting the foundations and footings of a PV array right. In this, being mindful of the weather, Biernath notes, is a vital factor.
…, but why is everybody just talking about how fast a system can be installed and seemingly only looking at the manufacturer’s marketing flyer?
Productivity/installation speed, and therefore the price of a large PV install, is impacted by multiple factors including:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcoLUF-QAa8]
Thank you very much for the positive feedback – it was a real pleasure for us to work with such a great team! Let’s do the next one!
By Andrew Worden, CEO, GameChange Racking
Foundation selection is critical for a cost effective installation of PV solar panel support structures. Lack of proper investigation of subsurface conditions can lead to selection of the wrong foundation type and can result in costly change orders and delays to the job completion date.
Solar EPCs in the US are competing for fewer projects. Increased specialization, efficiency improvements, and accelerating mergers and acquisitions are among the strategies used by the companies to survive.
One way to control margins is to manage projects systematically. “The amount of wasted time per project is in the 30% range”, says Heiko Schramm of Sunstall.Key points:
If you want to read more go to pv-magazine and read Charles W Thurston’s article.
October 26 2011 – Aurora Oregon; Representatives from Portland General Electric, the Oregon Department of Transportation, Five Stars International and Contractors working on the Solar Highway 1.745 Megawatt project joined Advanced Energy Systems and Sunstall Inc. at the construction site today to mark the milestone surrounding the beginning of the Solar World module installation. With the final post driven in the six acre site, and over 50% of the Haticon Racking assembled it was time to start mounting the 250 watt solar panels. Assisting in unpacking the first module was the project brainchild, Allison Hamilton of ODOT. Other notables from ODOT were Lynn Aveberck, and Lynn Frank of Five Stars International. PGE representatives included Mark Osborne, Dawn Wilde, and Robert Ferraro.
When completed, the project will provide enough electricity to offset the use of both the North and Southbound rest areas at the project location, approximately 15 miles South of Portland Oregon on Interstate 5. As the primary Solar Contractor on the project, Advanced Energy Systems teamed up with SunStall Corporation for the racking installation, and Christensen Electric of Portland for the primary electrical installation. Read more