Shook me all Day Long: How shake table testing shows earthquake resilience of solar trackers

What happens to a solar tracker during a major earthquake? Until now, the industry has relied primarily on models and simulations rather than full-scale validation. This pv magazine Webinar shares results from the industry’s first comprehensive shake table testing of a single-axis tracker, conducted at UC Berkeley’s PEER facility under IEEE 693 high-performance standards.

We’ll cover what passed, what didn’t, and what the results mean for developers, asset owners, lenders, and insurers building in seismic zones. Drawing from testing data, we will discuss how real-world validation changes the risk conversation for projects in earthquake-prone regions like California and Chile.

The session will examine the engineering behind the Seismic Lateral Capture System and how it engages north-south oriented loads. We will also review the results across various tilt angles and mounting types, providing key lessons learned from full-scale progressive testing.

Our guest speakers will be Scott Van Pelt, Chief Engineer, and Joseph Ottolino, Senior Geotechnical Engineer at GameChange Solar.

pv magazine Webinar content:

• The seismic data gap: Why the industry lacked full-scale validation and the risks for high-seismic regions
• Inside the IEEE 693 test: Overview of the New Madrid maximum considered event and shake table protocols
• Key results and configurations: Lessons learned from different tilt angles and mounting types
• The engineering of resilience: How the Seismic Lateral Capture System performs under load
• Risk mitigation: Implications for project planning, financing, and insurance
• Q&A

Questions can be submitted beforehand in the comments window when registering or in the chat during the live webinar. Ryan Kennedy, editor at pv magazine USA, will be the moderator of this webinar.