From November 13th to 16th, the 6th China International Photovoltaic Industry Conference and Innovation Technology Exchange Conference was grandly held in Chengdu, Sichuan. As the first photovoltaic event in western China, this conference has the theme of "Dual Carbon New Era and Green New Future". Photovoltaic industry giants, top experts and global photovoltaic leading companies from home and abroad gathered in Chengdu to discuss the development trends of the photovoltaic industry, and promote green, low-carbon and sustainable development. Versolsolar was invited as well, and technical director Yu Ziyi gave a keynote speech, sharing high-quality solutions for bracket products in the construction of mountainous photovoltaic projects. At the award ceremony, Versolsolar won the "2023 China Photovoltaic Top 100 Brands List" and the "China Photovoltaic 20 Years·Innovation Pioneer Award".

The photovoltaic industry in western China has a strong momentum of development as it gathers chains to pursue “light”. This trend is driven by multiple factors. During the 14th Five-Year Plan, China will focus on the development of nine clean energy bases, basically all located in the western region. And the west is mostly mountainous and plateau areas with rich natural resources, such as solar energy, wind energy, etc. These resources provide broad development space for the photovoltaic industry.

As we all know, China is a mountainous country with widely distributed mountainous terrain. Mountainous areas account for about one-third of the country's land area. Especially in the southwest region, large-scale photovoltaic projects are basically mountainous. In recent years, the development trend of mountain photovoltaic projects has been very stable, and its installation volume has continued to increase, and it is constantly promoting the scale and efficiency of the mountain photovoltaic power generation market. Mountain photovoltaic power generation technology has become a feasible way to utilize renewable energy, and its development prospects are also very optimistic. How to choose a suitable mountain photovoltaic support system to improve land utilization and power generation yield? Let’s listen to the professional and comprehensive analysis by Yu Ziyi, Technical Director of Versolsolar:

1. The characteristics of mountainous terrain lead to the features and difficulties of constructing mountainous photovoltaic projects.

• The terrain is undulating, requiring the bracket to have good terrain adaptability;
• The complex and unstable geological structure makes the design, construction, operation and maintenance of photovoltaic projects difficult;
• It is easy to generate local gusts. The special terrain of mountainous areas often causes gusts to occur in some valleys, mountain passes, and mountain tops. Photovoltaic supports need to have stronger structural stability;
• The ecological environment is fragile. The fragility of the ecological environment in mountainous areas is manifested by the cold terrain, harsh climate, and obvious wind erosion, water erosion, frost erosion and other soil erosion phenomena. Once damaged, it will take a long recovery or stabilization period.

2.Mountain photovoltaic project bracket product solutions and technical applications

During the design process of technical solutions for mountainous photovoltaic projects, Versolsolar mainly ensures the safety, rationality and economy of the solution through the following four key points:

• Three-dimensional terrain simulation of the project to ensure the accuracy of the design plan;
• Designed for special structural loads in mountainous areas to ensure the safety of bracket products;
• Reasonable pile foundation design can reduce geological damage, prevent settlement, reduce construction difficulty, and ensure project safety and economy;
• Select the appropriate bracket type according to local conditions. The fundamental purpose is how to improve the land utilization rate and power generation rate of photovoltaic construction projects.

Ø For terrain with a slope of 10 degrees or less, it is recommended to use the V-In single-axis tracking system

• Good terrain adaptability, device that takes into account both angle adjustment and up and down height adjustment
• Adopt stronger materials and long-span structural design to ensure a more stable structure while reducing the number of pile foundations in the project;
• Wireless interaction of weather data across the entire station
• Use AI intelligent algorithm to solve the loss of power generation caused by occlusion caused by undulating terrain
• Higher yield: Compared with fixed brackets, it can increase power generation by about 15% to 20%, increase IRR by about 2%, and reduce LCOE by about 10%.

Ø For terrain with a slope of 10-20 degrees, it is recommended to use the fixed ground system

• Mountain projects mostly use front and rear double columns and two vertical installation solutions, which are currently widely used in large mountain projects

Ø For more complex terrain with a slope of more than 20 degrees, it is recommended to use the flexible bracket system

Introduction to the characteristics of three cable structures

• Single-layer suspension structure: simple structure, convenient construction, with a span of about 20m, mostly used in undulating mountainous terrain and agricultural and photovoltaic complementary projects;
• Cable truss structure: The structure is relatively complex, with load-bearing cables + stabilizing cables, with a span of up to 50m. It is mostly used in agricultural and fishery complementary sewage treatment plants;
• Tension beam structure: A flexible structure is used to replace the roof, mostly used in stadiums and stations.  

Ø For mountain photovoltaic projects, it is recommended to use Versolsolar single-layer cable structure flexible bracket solution. Its product advantages are:

• It is less difficult to install than other types of cable structures and is more convenient for construction;
• Can be arranged flexibly in a single row to improve land utilization;
• Compared with other cable structure types of brackets, they have the lowest foundation load-bearing requirements and are more suitable for mountain projects.

With stars in the eyes, we are chasing the light. In the future, Versolsolar will continue to adhere to the mission of "Technology Empowerment and Realize Green Dreams", provide solutions for the ecological development of the global clean energy system, lead the industry's new needs, and continue to contribute to the high-quality development of China's photovoltaic industry.