Vandewetering, N.; Jamil, U.; Pearce, J.M. Ballast-Supported Foundation Designs for Low-Cost Open-Source Solar Photovoltaic Racking. Designs2024, 8, 17.
Vandewetering, N.; Jamil, U.; Pearce, J.M. Ballast-Supported Foundation Designs for Low-Cost Open-Source Solar Photovoltaic Racking. Designs 2024, 8, 17.
Vandewetering, N.; Jamil, U.; Pearce, J.M. Ballast-Supported Foundation Designs for Low-Cost Open-Source Solar Photovoltaic Racking. Designs2024, 8, 17.
Vandewetering, N.; Jamil, U.; Pearce, J.M. Ballast-Supported Foundation Designs for Low-Cost Open-Source Solar Photovoltaic Racking. Designs 2024, 8, 17.
Abstract
Although solar photovoltaic (PV) system costs have declined, capital cost remains a barrier to widespread adoption. Do-it-yourself (DIY) system designs can decrease costs by about 50% by reducing labor costs, but if not attached to a building structure demand ground penetration for conventional footings. This is not technically and economically feasible at all sites. To overcome these challenges, this study details systems designed to eliminate drilling holes and pouring concrete. Two different designs for both fixed tilt and variable tilt PV racking are investigated to assess their structural integrity, constructability, and economic cost when fabricated with a ballast-supported foundation. The ballast-supported foundations are analyzed for eight such systems by proposing two separate ballast designs: one for single line of post systems, and one for double line of post systems built on a 4-kW basis. The results of the analysis found that both designs are slightly more expensive than typical in-ground concrete systems by 25%, but the overall DIY systems costs remain economically advantageous. Sensitivity analyses are conducted to show how modifications to the dimensions including clearances and distances between gabions influence the weight of the system and thus change the economic value of the design, so users can trade dimensional freedom for cost-savings, and vice versa. Overall, all the wood-based PV racking system designs provide users with cost-effective and easy DIY alternatives to conventional metal racking, and the novel ballast systems presented provide more versatility for PV systems installations.
Keywords
open source; photovoltaic; racking; solar energy; biomaterials; wood; photovoltaic; mechanical design; balance of systems; renewable energy
Subject
Engineering, Civil Engineering
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
