Radical Reductions In Installation Labor and Material Costs via Standards-based, Module-integrated Innovations
This work demonstrates effective approaches for substantially reducing the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) in large utility scale photovoltaic (PV) projects by targeting installation and balance of system (BOS) components through utilization of a standards-based module-integrated Zep Groove™. The approaches demonstrated are both technically and economically feasible at this moment. All approaches require and are enabled by PV modules with Zep Solar frames. By showing effective approaches for reducing LCOE this work demonstrates the advantages of adding a standard Zep Groove to PV modules. The groove enables lower cost hardware and installation techniques that would otherwise not be possible. The initial project objectives are as follows: 1. Develop hardware and module integration that improves function and cuts material and labor costs based on the standardization of BOS. 2. Extend Zep Solar’s existing PV frame technology from its current residential/commercial rooftop strongholds into a utility ground-mount setting, driving dramatic reductions of up to $\$$.40/Watt in design, materials, labor and maintenance expenses for this rapidly-growing segment of the United States solar marketplace. Per objective 1, Zep Solar produced two concepts which resulted in substantial material savings. The graph below (Figure 1.) shows commodity cost for materials in a typical ground mount system which could be described as a system with large posts spanned by rails where every module is supported by two pieces of rail across its length, and for a Zep Solar system which utilizes small stakes spanned by rails, where every module is supported by two pieces of rail.