Reducing Solar Project Costs

World-Class Leader SOLAR RACKING & SERVICES SOLUTIONS

Part One of a Three Part Series

SECRETS ___________

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SECRETS To Reducing Project Costs | Part One of a Three Part Series

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Your team spent hours in planning and budgeting for the construction of the solar project on alandfill. They are installing ballasted racking. They have realistic installation schedules, projected timelines and sufficient padding for issues. The construction team needs to hit these numbers, or at least come close to stay within budget. Things seem to be going well even though the crew is a little behind due to the trucks arriving late on site to deliver the racking. Then you get that call. You went with a cheaper ballasted racking system.. The crew has hit problems with pouring the blocks. They’ve improvised by reinforcing the forms, but that’s not the end of the bad news. It’s slower than originally budgeted, a lot slower. They’ve called your racking partner’s support services, but haven’t gotten any resolutions.

Onsite construction crews have installed the foundation and racking. They’re mounting the modules now. You hear from the crew that modules did not allign properly with the racking sytem, and the team has to use jigs in order to get the modules to line up. It took 20% longer to install than anticipated and while the racking company said they could accommodate the slope, now the modules don’t appear to align. The Project Construction Manager is talking to the racking services team, but they don’t seem to be able to resolve the problem.

Has anything like this ever happen on your project site? You need meticulously engineered racking solutions from a seasoned team dedicated to your success. How about from a company with a heritage of designing labor-savings that carry over to everything they do? What about a rugged product that delivers on its promise and saves time and labor onsite?

Snapshot of a highly-successful Cast-In-Place solar project Constructed in cold country, just outside of Dighton, Massachusetts, the 650 kW solar power generation project was installed with Solar FlexRack’s B3P-X racking system with the innovative Cast in Place (CIP) ballasted block foundation. The solar project was built by Turning Mill Energy, a Massachusetts-based organization specializing in commercial solar project design and construction management. Solar FlexRack’s proprietary Series B3P-X CIP is their newest ground-mount system for installing ballasted PV solar on landfills, brownfields, and water-saturated terrain where no, or little soil penetration is allowed. Engineered to simplicity, the efficient racking solution offers the ability to level posts after forms are set, customize block sizing and reduces the number of components needed for installation. The intelligent racking solution reduces shipping costs of pre-cast, heavy blocks. Combine those

________________________ Racking Technology: B3P-X Cast in Place ________________________ Project Size: 650 kW ________________________ Racks: 120 (Portrait) ________________________ EPC: Turning Mill Energy ________________________ Project Completion: Dec., 2015

You Saved A Half A Cent on Racking.

You Lost 2 Cents

On Added Project Costs.

SECRETS To Reducing Project Costs | Part One of a Three Part Series

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Solar power generation plant located in Dighton, Massachusetts installed with Solar FlexRack B3P-X CIP racking solution. features with the roll-formed light weight forms and Series B3P-X CIP is a framework of innovation. The Solar FlexRack advantage for customers is substantial project savings and the coup de grâce is - the whole thing installs so easy.

Where the construction crew reduced project costs

1. Shipping – No heavy pre-cast blocks and, thanks to meticulous engineering, weight and parts were reduced. 2. Delivery - Shipments arrived in an organized manner and on time. 3. Intelligent Racking Design – Robust design with reinforced sidewalls to support the weight of wet concrete. 4. Adjustability – Need a 20% slope, no sweat, your solar modules will consistently maintain slope transition. 5. Wire management – Specifically designed to reduce string wire install time. 6. Installation - Engineered for ease of installation, the racking is a self-squaring system that guarantees

modules will perfectly align for efficient module population.

The onsite Project Lead of the Dighton project had set goals per day. Working closely with the construction crew, they were able to dramatically reduce their labor hours on racking installation further reducing their project costs. About B3P-X’s Cast In Place Foundation: The cast-in-place form is specifically designed for fast and easy assembly. It is constructed to withstand the wet weight of the concrete until it cures and the design will accommodate temperate change and shrinkage. It was built to stand up against worst case hydrostatic pressures.

Installation Was Fast, Very Fast.

“It allowed us to build a pour in place system as fast as a precast ballasted system at a lower cost.”

- Tony Johnson Managing Partner, Turning Mill Energy

SECRETS To Reducing Project Costs | Part One of a Three Part Series

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Your Solar FlexRack team Solar FlexRack, an industry-leading racking solutions company, has a first class group of geotechnical, structural and mechanical engineers; geologist, project managers, designers, field technicians and services support team to provide you with a full turnkey solution. They understand that each solar project is unique and they attack every project from the perspective of driving high-quality products and service, combined with consistent attention to economical and practical solutions. The customer-centric team delivers competitive advantages to their customers by leveraging their years of expertise and industry knowledge to provide innovative solutions that reduce project costs. Your Solar FlexRack team does their homework. They dig deep to provide you with unparalleled service support:

• Soil analyzation and reporting • Sizing and layouts • Design recommendations • Pull-testing • Structural analysis and foundation design • Project management • Post driving • Tracker and racking installation • Panel mounting • Commissioning

Industry-leading racking solutions company, Solar FlexRack delivers meticulously engineered products and services that translate to significant downstream project cost-savings for you. Contact a Solar FlexRack Sales Manager to learn more at Info@solarflexrack.com or call 1-888-380-8138. Sign-up for the Solar FlexRack eNewsletter here to get monthly updates on products, services, company news, and projects: http://eepurl.com/bWnxKP

Solar FlexRack, A World-Class Leader Solar FlexRack, a division of Northern States Metals, is an integrated solar company that offers custom-designed, fixed tilt ground mount and single-axis tracking systems in the commercial and utility scale, solar mounting industry. Solar FlexRack also offers full turnkey packages, including engineering, geotechnical, pullout testing, field, layout, and installation services to address the actual site conditions of an installation, providing a full scope of services from design to delivery and installation. Solar FlexRack has completed more than 1 GW of solar racking installations in 32 states across America and five countries globally. More information on Solar FlexRack can be found at www.solarflexrack.com.