CASE STUDY / Turning Toward the Sun Case Study

HARNESSING THE POWER OF THE SUN

EPC model delivers a client’s first utility-scale solar project — on budget and on schedule.

PROJECT STATS

Client
Confidential Client

Location
Southeastern U.S.

CHALLENGE

A confidential client, serving more than 700,000 customers in southeastern U.S., was in search of a solar solution to add to its traditional power generation. After deciding on a location, significant design challenges surfaced: corrosion issues due to the proximity to the Gulf of Mexico and the need for the design to accommodate the area’s hurricaneforce winds and flood plain location.

The client turned to our team for engineer, procure and construction services (EPC) to overcome these challenges and deliver a 23-megawatt direct current (MWdc), 106-acre solar photovoltaic (PV) field — its first utility-scale solar project.

SOLUTION

Through thoughtful civil and structural design, our team collaborated with the client to evaluate numerous technology assessment iterations and develop an approach to cost-effectively mitigate these challenges, while meeting capacity requirements and budget parameters.

Due to the location of a portion of the site in a flood plain, the bottom of the module was required to be six feet above grade in certain areas. This added height also had to be considered in the modified design to withstand the added wind loading of hurricane-force wind speeds. In order to meet the minimum energy capacity and stay within budget, we designed a single-axis tracking system.

The design featured more than 202,000 thin-film PV panels installed in 1,772 rows supported by 14,000 direct-driven steel piles. The panels were outfitted with sensors and drive motors to enable them to track the movement of the sun, resulting in a more than 20 percent energy gain over fixed solar installations. The solar energy is then distributed to a solar plant through nine inverters for conversion from direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC) power.

 

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SOLUTION

Through thoughtful civil and structural design, our team collaborated with the client to evaluate numerous technology assessment iterations and develop an approach to cost-effectively mitigate these challenges, while meeting capacity requirements and budget parameters.

Due to the location of a portion of the site in a flood plain, the bottom of the module was required to be six feet above grade in certain areas. This added height also had to be considered in the modified design to withstand the added wind loading of hurricane-force wind speeds. In order to meet the minimum energy capacity and stay within budget, we designed a single-axis tracking system.

The design featured more than 202,000 thin-film PV panels installed in 1,772 rows supported by 14,000 direct-driven steel piles. The panels were outfitted with sensors and drive motors to enable them to track the movement of the sun, resulting in a more than 20 percent energy gain over fixed solar installations. The solar energy is then distributed to a solar plant through nine inverters for conversion from direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC) power.

 

23

MEGAWATT DIRECT CURRENT
(MWDC)
 

106

ACRE SOLAR FIELD
 

202K

PV MODULES
 

20%

ENERGY GAIN VERSUS FIXED
SOLAR PANELS

RESULTS

Completed on March 1, 2017, the project took 138,000 man hours with 80 percent of project workers hired locally. The new solar field is the largest single source of solar power in the area with capacity to serve 3,300 homes. Delivering an estimated $10 million in local economic impact, the project has illustrated that utility-scale PV is cost competitive with traditional generation for regulated utilities.

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At this time, Burns & McDonnell is not offering pure architectural services in the states of Illinois, Louisiana, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire or New Jersey. We may, however, provide design-build services for architectural projects.