Professional AquaSoli Geotech Analysis helps to cut down Project Cost

The Clients experience on project “AB” illustrates typical issues with selecting racking and doing facility design before characterizing the site and soils bearing capacity. It also demonstrates how AquaSoli leverages our experience and contacts to solve expensive design and deployment issues.

Pile driver machine

If the Posts Length exceeds the Pile Driver Machines Capability something has gone wrong in the planning process…

and might result in exploding Machinery Cost.

A Client came to us with a racking system and asked us to perform geotechnical site assessment, analytical load testing and foundation design for 3 projects.

On the largest site conventional foundation design specified a total pile length of 13.5 feet for the single center post racking system. Our experience indicated that a pile of this length requires special handling which increases installation costs as much as 30%.

Working with the rack manufacturer and re-analyzing the dense load test data we collected, AquaSoli identified two cost saving foundation alternatives.

1. Discussions with the manufacturer applications engineers determined that the specified foundation stickup included adjustability to accommodate site grade variation. Our site experience allowed the manufacturer to agree to reduce the specified stickup, thus shortening the required pile length.

2. Our analytical foundation load testing identified anomalous vertical bearing behaviour for the preferred foundation profile. By rigorously reanalyzing the soils data and foundation behaviour, we provided a suitable design based on an alternative foundation profile with a reduced embedment depth. The alternative profile design reduced pile length enough to allow the lowest cost installation technique.

The net result is that the client will save about 3 times the cost of our services in installation costs alone.

In addition we identified an opportunity to save as much as 10% on the materials costs by reducing the required foundation stickup.

On a second site we are working to solve a similar issue but resulting from weak horizontal bearing capacity. Site work determined that the soils were mechanically disturbed to a depth of 5 feet. The weak soils and single post rack design dictated a total pile length that required installation by a specialized pile driver. Use of the oversized pile driver increased projected installation costs as much as 300%.

We have identified several alternatives to solve the issue. However by selecting the racking before understanding soils conditions the Client adversely impacted both their schedule and project costs and risked a great deal more.

Lesson to learn: If solar specific site evaluation and load testing is completed first, AquaSoli can recommend standard design and racking alternatives that provide routine solutions for individual site issues. Routine solutions support low costs and schedule compliance. (Author of this text: US VP Bob Donaldson)

Please contact AquaSoli

in USA +1.508.982.4811

in Japan +81.8050309569

in MENA +962.7.9650.4325

in Europe +49.89.6223376815

 

Solar Foundation Risk Assessment And Mitigation

Solar Foundation Risk Management And Mitigation

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 Recovering value and performance by addressing foundation failure vulnerability

 

For commercial and utility scale facilities, the comparative costs of various degrees of foundation risk abatement can be thought of in the following terms:

  • The incremental cost of experienced geotechnical site assessment, foundation design and early project involvement is thousands of dollars.
  • The cost of geotechnical risk assessment for suspect foundations is about the cost of a typical geotechnical site assessment.
  • The cost of foundation risk abatement is comparative to the materials and installation cost of the original foundations.
  • The cost of foundation failure remediation encompasses racking and modules and can approach the initial value of the installation.

 

image008AquaSoli’s perspective on foundation failure and ground component vulnerability stems from 10 years, 1000 projects and 10 gigawatts of experience.  Our work in this area grows with the in-service history of commissioned facilities.  Operational time increases likelihood that a latent foundation risk is actualized by the triggering atmospheric, climatic, and geotechnical conditions.

AquaSoli has a number of tools for addressing risk mitigation:

  • Our baseline understanding of foundation performance and vulnerability comes from designing with most major racks and foundation configurations in all terrains and environments.
  • Over the last 10 years, AquaSoli has compiled an extensive database of empirical design parameters from more than 1000 projects, including foundation remediation.
  • In-house laboratory facilities allow us to model soil profiles, site variables, and foundation reactions, to help replicate real world conditions for testing failure modes.
  • Typical foundation risk and failure mitigation projects add to our body of experience.

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With experience in failure mode analysis and deploying mitigation strategies, AquaSoli offers cost effective alternatives for risk reduction.  Mitigation is usually a fraction of the cost of failure remediation.  Timely implementation can alleviate the performance and financial liability of unquantified risk.  AquaSoil provides risk valuation, mitigation design and deployment, remediation design and construction supervision.  In addition, we will certify the performance of our corrective action for existing facilities.

image004Want to learn more? – Contact us at info@aquasoli.com or call +1 415 230 2062

Integrated Solar Ground Component Management

IMG_3214Integrated Solar Ground Component Management

Project enhancement through integrating and coordinating the tasks that affect foundation cost and performance

AquaSoli applies a systems approach to integrate the interdependent facets of solar ground component design, coordinating execution to ensure foundation reliability.

 

The ground component is comprised of the following elements:

  • Geotechnical evaluation
  • Civil design
  • Rack selection and layout
  • Foundation design
  • Civil ground work
  • Foundation installation

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These elements are often treated as discrete components.  However, they are intimately interdependent.  Foundation failure can be caused by site civil design, and inexpensive rack selection can drive the need for expensive foundations.

 image017By integrating and coordinating the ground component, AquaSoli drives success, profit, reliability and value.  For instance, accurate geotech leads to accurate foundation design and minimizes issues during foundation installation.  Our systems approach incorporates an optimized foundation design, integrated with civil work, and coordinated through installation.  Design accuracy reduces materials and deployment costs.  Facet coordination ensures task synergism and avoids interference.  Accuracy in site definition and design lowers bids by instilling installer confidence.  Schedule and change order control increases profits.  Facility reliability increases value.

 Projects integrated by AquaSoli avoid:

  • Expensive change orders in the construction phase
  • Project delays caused by design modifications required during construction
  • Costly over designed foundations
  • Failure vulnerability based on inadequate site data
  • Foundation failure due to design and installation defects and impacts from related ground component facets

Want to learn more? Send us an email at info@aquasoli.com or call +1 415 230 2062.

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