Solar Panel Foundations
and Anchors
Driven Tubular or H Piles
Driven steel tubes or H sections in section lengths up to 3.3m can be installed very quickly into most soil types using our specialist equipment. Using methods of pre-boring, they can also be used in hard rock. Design techniques are widely understood and accepted. The sections are readily available and relatively cheap, and have good bending resistance. Tubes can provide good tolerance on installation. Piles can be immediately loaded.
Driven U/Z Section Piles
Driven light gauge steel sections in lengths up to 3.3m can be installed very quickly into most soil types using our specialist equipment. If pre-bored, they can also be used in hard rock. The sections generally have large surface area per meter and so provide good resistance to axial loads. The sections are generally readily available and cheap but don't provide the same tolerance on installation or bending resistance as tubes. Piles can be immediately loaded.
Helical Piles
Helical piles, in up to 5m lengths, can be installed very quickly into most soil types using our specialist equipment. They are not suitable for very soft or very stiff/dense/hard conditions. Helical piles provide very good compression and tension bearing resistance in poor soils. They are more expensive than driven solutions because of fabrication, but are a necessary and economical foundation in certain situations. Piles can be immediately loaded.
GRIP® Piles
In shallow rock conditions and
for larger axial loads, Grout Injection Piles or GRIP® piles would provide a robust piled solution. They are installed using our specialist equipment. Progress is slower than the other piling techniques and may require more quality control, but a useful system for large applications.
Ballasted Systems
Ballasted solutions like recycled train track sleepers are an incredibly cheap and sustainable foundation solution. If there is availability of materials nearby, a gabion basket system may also provide a very economical solution. Other systems like precast concrete blocks also require consideration; however they are more expensive than the sleepers. These systems may however be considered unsightly in some instances, but necessary if ground penetration is not possible.
Mass In situ Concrete or Traditional Bored Piles
In rare instances due to availability of steel, durability, or erosion, mass concrete or concrete piles may provide the most suitable foundation system.