Open Cable Tray Wiring Method

[shortcircuit2]

Below is a photo of a cable tray being used to route the DC from the solar field to the inverter.

 

[LEO2854]

Below is a photo of a cable tray being used to route the DC from the solar field to the inverter.

Looks like a fun job.....:thumbsup:

 

[Cow]

Is all that concrete precast? They look like they are just sitting on top of the grass?

I only say that because it doesn't look like any of the ground has been dug up, grass still looks perfect, etc...

 

[shortcircuit2]

Yes the concrete is all precast...

 

[Cow]

I can understand there are probably cost savings using precast but I can't say I'm a fan of that installation. I don't even do solar installs, but all of them that I see are dead nuts straight built on poured excavated footings. Your panels look like waves in an ocean.....

 

[jaggedben]

Okay I have some questions...

Why this method? So you don't have to dig a trench?

Also, why so wide a tray? Are combiners not being used? How many arrays are there that we can't see?

Finally, what is going to cover the top of the tray? And what about the cost of using USE-2 instead of THWN for these runs?


The precast concrete does seem pretty cool.

 

[shortcircuit2]

Open cable tray wiring method as described in the title. The wire going in the tray is 250mcm THWN-2 Al sunlight resistant which will feed into the combiner boxes. There are over 2000 panels in this field which is located atop of a capped landfill...

 

[cadpoint]

Wow I'm with Cow... Wow... so I calculate that a concrete pad is approx 3200 lb's (1.6 short tons)

Did the Engineer have to do lift calculations for the sails? I guess you'll don't get any wind up there, I'll assume your up there due to the angle of panels?

Did the sight have methane vents or monitors?

A large panel farm here has goats for the grass, but it not on top of a landfill, what is the owner going to do?

 

[shortcircuit2]

Here is the cable tray with the PV conductors...

 

[shortcircuit2]

Here are the PV conductors going from the cable tray into SCH 40 PVC and then into the inverter...

 

[shortcircuit2]

Here the PV conductors enter the bottom of the DC side of the inverter...

 

[ggunn]

Here is the cable tray with the PV conductors...

I attended a presentation by John Wiles a few weeks ago, and he postulates that even wire listed as UV resistant that is any color other than black will not stand up to 20 years of exposure to direct sunlight.

 

[Andrew445]

I have seen this ballasted design method used before in cases where soil conditions are unfavorable, or it is atop a landfill like shown. It is pretty neat, thanks for the pictures!

The wavy arrays are mildly concerning though. I wonder if this could be helped by adjusting the height of the posts on the individual racks.

 

[ggunn]

I have seen this ballasted design method used before in cases where soil conditions are unfavorable, or it is atop a landfill like shown. It is pretty neat, thanks for the pictures!

The wavy arrays are mildly concerning though. I wonder if this could be helped by adjusting the height of the posts on the individual racks.

Aesthetically they bug me a little, but I wouldn't worry too much about their production.