The Dillinger Group in PV Magazine

In the latest issue of PV Magazine, our managing director, Mr. Dillinger, was quoted in an article on solar-carport installations. Mr. Dillinger emphasizes that soil conditions can significantly impact the construction costs of a solar-carport system.

Due to their purpose of providing space for vehicles, carport structures face substantial stresses on their substructures and foundations. Ensuring adequate robustness and load-bearing capacity may necessitate extensive civil engineering works.

A concrete example is our 20.71 MWp solar-carport installation in Lonato. Located southwest of Lake Garda, this area was once covered by the Rhaetian Glacier, resulting in a loose subsoil littered with numerous boulders, some weighing several tons. These boulders, transported by the glacier during the ice age, pose significant challenges during piling operations. On one hand, the pile driver cannot penetrate through boulders; on the other hand, there is the possibility of displacing them sideways, which can damage the supports or compromise their stability afterwards.

To address this issue, guided drilling is employed. A casing tube is inserted into the borehole, and concrete is poured around it, ensuring that the subsequent support is protected from subterranean boulders. The support is then placed into the concreted hole, aligned, and stabilized with rapidly setting concrete. Within hours, this specialized concrete achieves sufficient strength for the support to stand independently.

While this approach ensures the necessary safety and stability to protect both vehicles and the facility itself, it also leads to significant additional costs that can render individual projects economically unviable.