Energy transition is critical to America’s future. Fossil fuel-dependent communities across the country are shifting production to renewable sources to improve local air quality, lower global emissions, and reap new economic opportunities. To support energy communities in this transition, the Inflation Reduction Act offers an additional ten percent tax incentive for projects located in these regions.

BE Pines project brings PV benefits to the Appalachian Valley

At 48.6 MWs, the BE Pines project in eastern Pennsylvania brought jobs and a big economic boost to Greene Township. Greene Township is located in the mountainous Great Appalachian Valley, one of the top 25 energy communities hard-hit by coal mine and power plant closures to be prioritized for focused federal investment.

BE Pines project highlights:

• Size – 48.6 MW_ac
• Modules – 89,648 panels by SEG Solar: 540/545W
• Screws – 16,300 Terrasmart ground screws plus 450 combiner screws (size – 2100mm)
• Racking Tables – 4,075 Terrasmart tables, GLIDE Portrait orientation
• Slope – South 30 degree, North, East/West 30 degree

Partners join forces to tackle complex project

When the owner of the BE Pines project, Four Twelve Renewables, chose its developer GPPT, LLC (a partnership between Propsect14 and Pro-Tech Renewables), it focused on collaborators with deep solar experience and a reputation for solving problems.

Pro-Tech Energy Solutions was selected as the EPC for its responsible sustainability, integrity, and commitment to collaboration. Pro-Tech turned to Terrasmart for its legacy of leadership, integrated PV portfolio, expertise in tough terrains, and decade-long track record of successful partnerships.

Challenges included hilly, rocky, and drenching conditions

The partners faced a number of operational challenges at the BE Pines project, including:

• Arduous site preparation: BE Pines required substantial civil work to address the challenging terrain, including clearing large swaths of vegetation and devising a storm water mitigation plan.

• Winter construction: Heavy rain and mud bogged down the movement of equipment, materials, and personnel during the foundation, and rack installation.

• Refusal risks: The biggest factor for projects of this size is schedule risk. Due to the rocky terrain, unforeseen issues below-ground pose a critical hazard.

• Constrained site logistics: The town required consistent communication pertaining to stormwater management, setbacks, site safety and security, and decommissioning.

Adapted solutions eliminated risks and rescued schedules

Winter construction

Terrasmart’s skilled operators used exacting software and equipment to drill the ground screws and set the racking system’s legs. Given the topography, Pro-Tech was glad to leverage Terrasmart’s expertise on tough sites.

“Other contractors may charge us a little bit less, but sometimes they struggle with the overall picture of where the racks and tables have to be, slowing things down,” said Jeff Hill, Vice President of Operations for Pro-Tech. “So utilizing that kind of scope work from Terrasmart actually is worth the investment.”

Refusal risk

Subterranean risks like boulders or ledge are common throughout the Northeast. Because they can be driven into the ground using advanced machinery no matter what lies underground, ground screws keep costs and schedules on track.

Terrasmart designed and manufactured the site’s fixed-tilt system using ground-screw foundations to eliminate pile refusals. It used its proprietary rock drilling machines and seasoned operators to secure nearly 17,000 ground screws fast to and stay on schedule despite the site’s rough terrain.

“It’s all about schedule and timing. We know that when we get a date from Terrasmart it doesn’t move,” said Matthew Braccio, Senior Project Manager with Pro-Tech. “If we’re driving piles and we hit refusals the mitigation can totally derail a project. The ground screw foundation is a little more costly up front that typically saves us money in the end.”

Integrated racking and installation

Working with manufacturers that also install their own products makes for a seamless project experience. Over time, this experience helps troubleshoot difficult construction conditions. While this year’s rainfall was particularly heavy, creating heavy mud conditions, Terrasmart’s onsite crew used all of its hard-won tricks to keep each phase of the project on schedule.

“We had times that everybody else had demobilized due to weather, but the Terrasmart team just kind of kept rocking right along to keep everything on schedule,” says Braccio.

Top-notch logistics

Because the project site didn’t have a laydown area for 50 MWs of racking and modules, the work was split into three blocks to allow for material transport. Close communication and logistics amongst all partners made the tight delivery schedule possible.

Terrasmart established a delivery schedule that kept trucks off the rural roads when school buses were operating, which minimized local concerns about construction-related traffic.

“Terrasmart’s coordinated deliveries were critical for us to not have to double- or triple-handle material,” says Jeff Hill, Vice President of Operations for Pro-Tech.

Results expand the ‘coal to clean’ transition

For a small town of 300 habitants, the 150-person teams brought a significant boost to the local economy. Furthermore, the BE Pines solar farm will produce 62,000 MWh annually, offsetting 43,000 tons of carbon dioxide each year. Such benefits are the equivalent of 49,217,653 pounds of avoided coal emissions or supplying electricity to 9,000 homes.

It’s this kind of substantial success that has kept Terrasmart and Pro-Tech partnering through more than 50 projects totaling 250 MWs of PV capacity. The partnership results in efficient projects like BE Pines that support communities once dependent on coal transition to a renewable energy economy.

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