We have all been through this ordeal at some point in time : wherein we wish to get all the benefits of a decision without having to deal with any compromises in the process. Here was an opportunity to install a Solar PV Plant atop a building terrace, but without letting go of precious terrace space that was needed to be utilised for other activities – a classic case of having your cake and eating it too !
When Team BigSwitch India was posed with this challenge, we went back to design basics like a topper-student in whose lexicon, ‘no’ is an unprinted word, and ‘impossible’ reads as : I’m possible.
This building is a 04-storeyed structure, located less than 500 meters from the shoreline of Mumbai and exposed to excessive wind-speeds and high levels of salinity. A typical Solar installation would require the Solar panels and structure be raised onto the terrace RCC slab with atleast 12 pillars that would ensure maximum exposure to the incident sunlight, and away from any shadowing of the terrace boundary-walls. Each of these pillars would need to be adequately ballasted to the ground to prevent wind drafts from uprooting the structure.
However, the challenge was to keep the terrace-floor slab as clean as possible so that it could be accessed without hindrances. A plan to install a one-and-a-half-ton Solar PV Plant needed some work in terms of innovative design without compromising on the stability of the structure. The design and engineering division of Team BigSwitch India came up with a floating Solar PV panel array concept – the panels would sit atop the edges of the building i.e., the terrace wall on one side, and the water tank on the other. However, to make the design fully robust, a minimalist requirement to erect just 02 pillars was sought, to which the Client consented.
The resulting Solar PV installation is facing the Southern side, raised 6 feet off the lower side of the terrace parapet wall. The columns to support such a ‘floating-structure’ are mounted off this terrace wall. The trailing edge of the structure is mounted with support from the building water-tank, after careful consideration of its vulnerability to cracking or leakage. The entire structure is optimally tilted at 18 degrees to the South to capture maximum sunshine during Operational hours. This allowed for the terrace floor RCC-slab area below to be left almost untouched (besides the 02 minimalist pillars), for residents to utilise it as a Roman terrace for socializing and to engage in other activities.
This is a unique Solar installation that has allowed for this Customer to integrate Renewables into their existing setup and yet be uncompromising when it comes to stability.
At BigSwitch India, design is a core component in our strategy to enable Clients adopt renewables while maintaining aesthetics. This is evidenced not only through the visual medium, but also through our choice of electrical, mechanical and civil-work components that have proven their mettle through actual deployment in the field. Our partnerships with industry-leading equipment manufacturers and suppliers ensures we employ only industry-leading components that can withstand the onslaught of heat, rain, wind and cold – day after day, season after season. Every Solar Plant by BigSwitch India carries the distinction of being a Renewable Energy solution built with robustness and one that provides for years of trouble-free Operations and ownership.