Feb 28 2011
Unirac, a leading solar power system infrastructure provider in North America, has disclosed that it has been chosen by Westwood Professional Services for supplying an ISYS Roof Mount (IRM) Custom Racking Application for the newly constructed 600 kW solar array on top of the Minneapolis Convention Center.
The solar array includes 2,613 PV modules, which would produce about 750 MW hours of electricity annually and is one of the biggest PV installations in the Upper Midwest region. It is also one of the largest commercial systems mounted on a rooftop with a 30° tilt featured in it.
Westwood had wanted a mounting solution that would meet the project parameters and also had an excellent back up support team coming along with it. Nathan Franzen, Westwood’s Director of Solar Energy, revealed that they had chosen Unirac mainly because they had expressed their agreement to work inside the project’s design specifications and also because they were capable of delivering a superlative product.
The Northern latitude of the Minneapolis Convention Center site needed an acute angle tilt in the mounting solution for capturing the maximum solar rays. Such an asymmetrical roof top design having slopes in many directions needed special adjustable feet so that the array was on the same level with the roof or in the same place. The site also faced harsh elements of nature such as eight feet high snow drifts. All these difficulties were surmounted by a specially built IRM with a 30 ° tilt configuration for obtaining the maximum solar ray capture and the highest possible output. The highly flexible nature of the IRM allowed the North South Beams to be adjusted and also support the beams. The success of the project hinged on both IRM’s advanced strength to weight ratio, and superior functionality. Unirac has provided the increased structural integrity without any increase in the costs.
According to Doug May, CEO and President of Unirac, both the company’s expertise and the flexibility of the ISYS Roof Mount were apt for the project’s success. He also added that the installation process was seamless and strictly followed a planned time schedule.