Hi Bill,
I like the PowerField solution as you can use local fill for the ballast and it keeps the modules tilted so they better shed water/snow (although in heavy snows your modules will still be covered). I would strongly advise against any ground-mount system that places the modules horizontal (pointed towards zenith) as this will collect much more soiling and as water pools around the frame lip, pinholes in the edge seal can allow water to seep behind the front side glass and collected between the glass/encapsulant/cells (I can share some pictures of how this can create reliability issues).
Depending on the timeline of your project, the nonprofit program I direct, Equitable Solar Solutions, has a pending donation of modules and mounts. The RBI mounts are free-standing ballasted mounts that were designed to place on old landfills so that the top membrane does not get penetrated. You can contact me at rich@equitablesolarsolutions.org to talk about how your nonprofit could acquire these mounts (and maybe modules that go with them) at an extreme discount.
Best of luck.
Rich Stromberg, vice-chair PV Technical Division at ASES
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Rich Stromberg
ESS Prog Dir / PhD Student
Equitable Solar Solutions / Univ of Alaska Fairbanks
Colorado
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-13-2023 01:06 PM
From: William Baker
Subject: Solar ground mount solutions
I am helping a non-profit retirement village to develop a ground mount solar array to reduce electricity costs. Because a large portion of the land is situated on a former landfill (largely construction materials) the solar panel support structure may be more expensive than standard mounts. I am looking at types of ground mount systems available and came across PowerRack by Powerfield Energy (PowerField Energy - Easy & Affordable Solar) . Does anyone have any experience with this system or any other system that might be suitable for this land? A geotechnical engineering study was done on the property in 2006 and their recommendation was that the land is not suitable for building homes or apartments.
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Bill Baker
Warm Hearth Village
Blacksburg, VA
bakerw98@live.com
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