While calculating the power capacity of solar farms and the homes they would illumine, what we tend to overlook is the colossal magnitude of such projects, especially in terms of the infrastructure and labor involved in the process. Huge costs, excessive amount of energy expended and elongated time schedule have always been three of the major problems plaguing solar installations since their inception. And this is where the two eminent companies – Unirac, Inc. and Wise Power Systems come into the picture. In a fastidious effort, they have managed to complete a cumulative 1.1MW ground solar installation for two adjacent sites in Vineland, New Jersey, all in just 40 days, and that too in spite of the blitz of five major snowstorms!
The sites, featuring 4,080 solar modules have been designed by utilizing Unirac’s very own photovoltaic mounting solution – ISYS Ground Mount (IGM). The IGM system has a myriad of benefits, and one of them is prefabrication. Module prefabrication allows up to 30 percent of overall project labor to be performed indoors or on-site in a shelter, which is protected from the outdoor elements. This not only increases the speed of installation, but also contributes to diminished labor rates. Another IGM advantage is its ability to reduce field labor due to its simple I-beam design, but at the same time accentuating upon the installation rate of more than 10 modules per man-hour. Thus, the cost effective and convenient IGM system can prove to be a crucial element for large-scale solar projects in the years to come.
Doug May, Unirac CEO, said:
The brilliance of IGM is its ability to eliminate time delays in the assembly process, and ease the inherent challenges of working in inclement weather zones. Reduced project cycle times and cost-savings are directly tied to IGM’s ability to allow for simultaneous operations: land preparation, foundation assembly, array sub assembly, and module assembly. No other PV ground mount solution on the market can offer this tremendous benefit to its customers.
Source: Bradenton
