Pennsylvania Solar Park

Green Energy Capital Partners planned for the development of a 100+/- acre site adjacent to the Green Acres Industrial Park in Nesquehoning, PA that will be home to a 10.6-megawatt ground-mounted solar-energy-generating plant – the largest solar plant in the Commonwealth and one of the largest in the nation. The size and setting of the site presented significant challenges for the installation of a typical ground-mounted solar array field. It has been common in the western U.S. to drive support poles into the ground to a depth that would resist horizontal and vertical forces. The site in Nesquehoning is not conducive to driving the support pipes due to the nature of the underlying soils and glacial till. EEI evaluated several alternative foundation and support systems to arrive at a cost-effective solution given the size and number of supports required. The benefits of our solutions were the ability to construct a practical and cost-effective foundation system for support of the structure. EEI developed a system of both drilled concrete piers and spread foundations. The determination on the use of either system was based on a site-specific geotechnical investigation and the conditions encountered at different areas of the site.