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Engineering Services

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Contact Us for Support
You can download the Voyager datasheet below or use these forms to contact our Construction Team for immediate service:

Every utility-scale solar development project comes with its own set of special characteristics. No two projects are the same. At FTC Solar we understand those unique factors and offer customized support to fit your needs. At FTC Solar, engineering is a core competence that adds critical value to our tracker. We strive for operational excellence and offer a wide array of post engineering services to support every project from concept to installation.

PV SITE LAYOUT

Let FTC Solar provide a design for your utility-scale PV project that will move you forward with planning, budgeting, and equipment choices.

TRACKER DESIGN

Our structural designs factor in your equipment preferences, local weather and other site conditions, and extensive engineering testing.

FOUNDATION ANALYSIS

We work closely with your geotech analysis, and if you wish, conduct further testing to build upon these results to arrive at a cost-effective combination of design, engineering and choice of materials.

ENGINEERING SUPPORT INCLUDES:

Site Plans / Layouts

FTC Solar creates your site plan based on system size targets, specific coordinates, boundary points and buildable area. We can also help you identify optimal module, inverter and other equipment choices. We use our proprietary PV system design software, SunDAT, to optimize any site with our single-axis Voyager tracker. (SunDAT is also available for licensing). SunDAT can perform detailed topography analysis and develop more complex electrical design and single line diagrams. Or, if you have your own site plan already, we can review it and optimize your system with the Voyager tracker.
Tracker Design

Once the site plan is created, we move into the structural design process for your system. We take a deeper dive into project characteristics analyzing wind loads, snow, topography, seismic and soil conditions. Finally we deliver stamped engineering drawings so you can begin the next step of the process.
Foundation Analysis

Understanding soil characteristics and topography are critical to your project. FTC Solar can recommend partners who can perform a full geotechnical analysis. We may need to design a foundation with a deeper embed due to soft soils. Under certain conditions we can reduce overall pile length to save you money. This is why foundation analysis is critical to the overall project. In most cases we recommend pull testing because it allows us to collaborate with the geotech report and optimize your foundation design to the fullest extent.

CUSTOM ENGINEERING SERVICES

TERRAIN STUDY & TOP OF PILE ANALYSIS

FTC Solar reviews project site plans and topography, and analyzes elevations for the piles or posts that provide the foundation for the tracker system. We help customers determine whether grading is necessary on rolling terrain or whether pile adjustments can save money and time, and still meet engineering requirements for the Voyager tracker. The Voyager tracker can traverse steep terrain (up to 17.5% or 10°N/S), reducing the need for grading. FTC can run a Top of Pile Analysis to determine the undulation tolerance, and produce cut/fill estimates to assist civil engineers.

Ground Coverage Ratio analysis

Ground Coverage Ratio (GCR) analysis can offer customized support in situations where clients want to maximize GCR on rugged terrain or challenging environments. FTC can also help you optimize your power production in the most cost-effective ways. You may assume your site should be at 50% GCR to meet a certain system size, but FTC Solar has often found that the GCR can be reduced by optimizing the layout. Reducing GCR can increase energy production, saving customers time and money.