From pv magazine Germany
Germany-based solar project developer BEC-Energie Consult GmbH has developed a self-supporting mounting structure for ground-mounted PV projects.
The company said it is now testing its patented “BECU” system at a 7 MW pilot facility in Sonneberg, Germany.
“The core idea of the patent is to exploit the self-supporting capacity of the photovoltaic module frame through the simplest, most stable, low-maintenance and space-saving installation possible in rows or blocks,” the company said.
The structure is south-oriented, with an incline of 9 degrees to 10 degrees.
“The holder reinforcing bar system, which leaves a gap of between 10 cm and 20 cm between the rows of modules depending on the design of the holder, consists of a galvanized reinforcing bar and 10 specially developed module holders,” said BEC-Energie Consult.
The reinforcing bars are driven into the ground up to 1.3 meters deep using a ram or caulking hammer, depending on the quality of the soil.
BEC-Energie Consult claims that its transport costs are lower. It said that its structures could also be used in ground-level agrivoltaic projects, if designed appropriately.
Livestock could be kept below the modules, said BEC-Energie Consult. It is now working on enabling ground-level vegetable cultivation with the help of small, autonomously operating robots.
In a classic ground-mounted system with the “BECU” substructure, system owners could achieve 1.45 MW of output per hectare, according to the company. For ground-level agricultural PV systems, 1.2 MW per hectare could be achieved.
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
By submitting this form you agree to pv magazine using your data for the purposes of publishing your comment.
Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for the purposes of spam filtering or if this is necessary for technical maintenance of the website. Any other transfer to third parties will not take place unless this is justified on the basis of applicable data protection regulations or if pv magazine is legally obliged to do so.
You may revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future, in which case your personal data will be deleted immediately. Otherwise, your data will be deleted if pv magazine has processed your request or the purpose of data storage is fulfilled.
Further information on data privacy can be found in our Data Protection Policy.