Drilling holes in the photovoltaic panel base

How do you anchor a ground mounted solar array?

By Brandon Wronski, Special To Solar Power World Various options exist for anchoring ground mounted solar arrays. These include drilled shaft piles (also called micropiles or caissons), driven piles and helical piers or ground screws.

How deep is a drilled shaft pile for a solar array?

Drilled shaft piles for solar array footings can vary anywhere from 6 to 24 inches in diameter and 5 to 30 feet deep, depending on site conditions and other variables. The drilled shaft or borehole is filled with high-strength cement grout or concrete. At times, steel casing or re-bar is used for reinforcement.

What is a ground mounted solar panel system?

A ground mounted solar panel system is a system of solar panels that are mounted on the ground rather than on the roof of buildings. Photovoltaic solar panels absorb sunlight as a source of energy to generate electricity. A photovoltaic (PV) module is a packaged, and connected photovoltaic solar cells assembled in an array of various sizes.

How do solar panels attach to a roof?

The most common roof mounted structure of all. Consists of attaching a set of rails to the rooftop. Each solar panel is then attached to the rails through a set of clamps. The rails are secured to the rooftop by screws and bolts. This type of installation directly uses bolts and screws to secure each panel to the roof.

Are helical piles good for solar panels?

Helical piles and micropiles work well in compression and tension applications and are ideally suited for solar panel installation. What are the differences between drilled shaft and helical piles? What equipment options are available for their installation?

Are helical piles a good choice for solar array anchoring?

Depending on ground conditions, helical piles can often be shorter in length and therefore cost less in installation time and energy consumption than comparable driven piles or drilled shafts. Some manufactures of helical piles for solar array anchoring assert installation rates as high as 500 piles per day.