Even in Portugal, Sun Ballast takes care of everything
Industrial warehouses and solar power have become an inseparable pair, but roof installations of photovoltaic panels can become problematic: the solution is the varied and versatile range of support ballasts offered by Sun Ballast.
Countless companies all over the world are installing photovoltaic panels, considering it an urgent and crucial need. Among their priorities is limiting the load on the roof: with Sun Ballast structures, they can be assured that their needs will be met.
1) Prosolia Energy, a leader in photovoltaics, has chosen Sun Ballast
Our customer Prosolia Energy has chosen Sun Ballast products for the installation of a major photovoltaic system in Portugal.
A leader in the installation of photovoltaic and solar power systems, Prosolia Energy works in four European countries: Portugal, Spain, France, and Italy. Its activities encompass various phases of the photovoltaic plant installation process, from setup to maintenance, with particular attention paid to post-sales support.
2) A flat roof with two different types of surface
Prosolia Energy has set up a plant of impressive size on the roof of an enormous industrial warehouse. This required careful attention, due to the different types of surface present on the roof.
The construction of this photovoltaic plant, as we can see from images of the project, is in fact divided into two separate zones on the roof with different characteristics. It was crucial to keep these differences in mind during the design and installation phases of the plant.
The first part of the installation, made on sheathing, covered the largest part of the surface: in this case, it was important that the plant be very sturdy while also not putting too much weight on the roof.
The second section of the roof presented completely different issues: a gravel surface, irregular roof, and limited installation space.
In this case, the customer needed to fully optimise the limited available installation space on the roof to achieve their predefined production goals.
3) The key role of the Sun Ballast technical office
To make this beautiful and unusual project a reality, the Sun Ballast technical office developed a solution focussed on the customer’s production needs and the structural features of the roof surface, zeroing in on an ideal custom solution.
Due to the different types of roof surfaces and their different space needs, the decision was made to use two different types of Sun Ballast support structures.
The larger part of the plant was fitted with supports from the Sun Ballast Connect system, a model that strikes an excellent balance between good wind resistance and light weight on the roof. Its unique structure, consisting of three concrete ballasts, allows the photovoltaic panels to be arranged in a lattice pattern. When connected to each other, the panels are extremely stable and distribute their weight evenly across the roof surface, without stressing any spots more than others.
For the smaller section of the roof, there was a clear need to install a system that would allow as many modules as possible to fit, which is why the Sun Ballast Vela system was chosen.
Among the key features of this system is its ability to maximally optimise space, occupying all available surface area without leaving any spots unused or unproductive.
Our technical office was instrumental in conducting sizing calculations, analysing the roofing type, and subsequently selecting the Sun Ballast structure capable of best meeting the building requirements expressed by the client.
4) 358 kWp: an extraordinary result.
The skill and professionalism of two companies that have worked in the photovoltaic sector for years led to the installation of approximately 400 photovoltaic modules, secured to the surface with about 900 Connect ballasts at an inclination of 10° and 200 Vela ballasts at an inclination of 5°.
All of this has made it possible to achieve a productive capacity of 358 kWp. Great work, everybody!
