PV Solar Facility Construction Process
1. Design
A comprehensive design process is conducted to determine the appropriate technology for the Solar Farm. The process details all aspects including employer specifications, design codes, standards and accepted industry norms, which will be applied by the construction team.
2. Procurement
Based on the detailed design, material specifications are issued to various manufacturers in order to obtain supplier proposals. These proposals are then evaluated on a number of criteria such as technical compliance, lead times, local content and cost. The preferred supplier is then managed by the procurement teams through the manufacturing process to delivery at the project site.
3. Site
Mobilisation
Before work commences on the site, the contractors will establish the necessary facilities such as offices, sanitation stations, security infrastructure, access roads and storage.
4. Roadworks
Roads are usually among the first items to be constructed. A surveyor will set out the position of the roads, and the roads will then be built following an approved design.
5. Installation of Piles
Piles are used to support the tracker system and the modules themselves. These are steel poles that are either driven into the ground using a ramming technique or concreted into the ground, depending on the prevailing ground conditions.
6. Installation of Trackers and PV Modules
Tracker systems allow the PV modules to rotate throughout the course of a day, following the trajectory of the sun. This allows maximum yield to be generated by optimising the angle of the sun to the PV modules. Once the piles are installed, the tracker system is installed and the modules are mounted to this system.
7. Inverters, Transformers and Cabling
All modules are wired into inverters, which convert the direct current (DC) generated by the PV modules into alternating current (AC), and pass through transformer stations in order to increase the voltage of the electricity generated by the modules.
8. Earthing and Lighting Protection
Extensive earthing and lightning protection systems are installed to protect personnel and equipment from accidental electricity leakages and lightning strikes.
9. Installation of Trackers and PV Modules
To connect to the national grid and transfer the electricity generated by the PV modules, various grid infrastructure needs to be constructed. This includes an IPP Substation, an Eskom Switching Station and then any overhead lines required to connect to the nearest Eskom Substation.
10. Commisioning and Energisation
Once all aspects of the facility have been constructed and approved according to the final design, the facility can begin to be commissioned. This is a very intricate and specialised procedure that can take a number of weeks to complete. Every component is checked and energised in a pre-determined procedure, before moving on to the next. Once all aspects have been covered in the commissioning procedure, the facility is finally ready to start delivering electricity into the national grid and to the final off taker.
