Ballast footing for ground mounted PV system

jngggggggg
jngggggggg Registered Users Posts: 2
in Solar Beginners Corner #1
When installing a surface ballast footing for a PV system, is it necessary to do any land clearing prior to installing a footing that does not penetrate the ground?

I'm curious as to whether or not there is something is building code (I'm from Alberta, Canada) that requires this in residential neighbourhoods.
What comes up in my mind is potential flooding or water accumulation at the base of the footing and uneven soil density which can compromise the structural integrity of the system.

I understand we're not all form the same country etc but any advice or past experiences you've had in the matter would be really helpful.

Thanks!
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Comments

  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    #2
    Re: Ballast footing for ground mounted PV system

    welcome to the forum,
    i would think you'd want to clear the land in and around the pvs as vegetative growth would interfere with power production. i know i would not like a small tree growing up below the pvs.

    ballasted pv systems i look at to be semi permanent and not permanent and i doubt your local officials would care too much if you broke your pvs. they would only care for you to show that they will not travel to somebody else's property or the street or get to the point of being airborne. this is common sense, but dealing with government usually leaves common sense behind so you need to ask your local officials to be certain of what they will expect of you.
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  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    #3
    Re: Ballast footing for ground mounted PV system

    You're probably concerned about the good ol' frost heavy and other surface distortions we get up here in the Great White North. Definitely needs to be planned for. What building code applies to this gets tricky, as that varies from place to place. Where I am if the array footprint was less than 160 sq. ft. (code hasn't switched to metric yet :D ) it would be categorized as shed construction and pretty much free of rules. If it was in a city it would be subject to different regs. Always check your local code.

    At any rate, you will probably need to build a base for it capable of floating on the ground without transmitting too much distortion to the panel rack. At that point you might want to consider putting the whole thing on a shed anyway; gets it up away from ground hazards and provides usable storage beneath.

    The other choice is to pole mount, sinking in to concrete that goes below the frost point (about 4' down) so that it remains stable.
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