Ballast calculator for Photovoltaic Systems on Flat Roofs for Corab company
Customer profile: CORAB - the leader in the Renewable Energy Sources industry, designs and constructs photovoltaic farms delivering their photovoltaic systems worldwide.
We provided Corab company with several various applications. HERE is another case study of Corab solutions.
Customer’s pains and project expectations:
The customer has lost significant orders relying on conservative calculations based on 'pen & paper' methodology. Developing applications with dedicated numerical models allowed the customer to reduce material overhead, significantly decreasing the price for farms and enabling compliance with bid requirements related to roof load-bearing capacity in the case of roof structures.
Project challenges:
- Farm Calculator - One of the key factors influencing the cost of building a photovoltaic farm is the depth of piling for PV module tables. Piles should be driven deep enough to eliminate the risk of the structure detaching from the ground or settling. At the same time, every centimeter saved in piling translates to tens of thousands in savings on material costs for a single PV farm. These kinds of savings allow customers to submit more competitive offers or increase their profit margins.
- Ballast Calculator - One of the crucial criteria when selecting flat-roof PV installations is to meet the load-bearing capacity of the roof. However, PV panel structures cannot be directly fastened to the roof and must be additionally weighted to prevent wind from tearing them off.
Solutions we provided:
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Corab Farm Calculator - Delivering a desktop application to assist customers in designing photovoltaic farms. This tool calculates the optimal depth for pile driving into the ground, considering aerodynamic loads, structural strength, and soil parameters.
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Corab Ballast Calculator - Providing a cloud-based application to support the design of flat-roof PV installations for customers. The tool determines the optimal quantity of ballast blocks used to weigh down the structure, taking into account aerodynamic conditions and structural mechanics.
Customer’s benefits:
Creating applications with specialized numerical models enabled the customer to cut material costs, leading to a substantial reduction in farm prices while also ensuring adherence to bidding prerequisites regarding roof load-bearing capacity for rooftop structures.
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