Distributed Energy Infrastructure (DEI), an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) firm for solar and battery storage, has mobilized on the 3.37-megawatt (MWdc) Sapphire Solar project in Jefferson County, New York.
Site conditions forced the team to change its design partway through construction. During excavation, crews found shale bedrock just 16 to 20 inches below grade across several areas, along with groundwater that kept seeping into open trenches. Those conditions affected the medium-voltage installation and equipment pad areas and made the original underground direct current (DC) conduit design impractical.
DEI’s EPC and contractor teams developed a revised design that moved a significant portion of the DC underground scope to an above-ground cable management (CAB) system. Underground trenching stayed in place at row-to-row crossings and other locations where it still made sense, and the new layout kept site access open for the owner’s long-term operations and maintenance.
DEI says the redesign, material procurement, and field work were finished within the time originally planned for the trenching scope.
“When we encounter unexpected challenges, our goal is to address them quickly and adapt our approach to what will work best for the site,” said Rusfid Haroon, Sr. Project Manager at Distributed Energy Infrastructure, in a statement.
He continued, “Even hitting shallow bedrock and water table across the site, we brought together the experience of each team working on the site to re-evaluate, re-design, and implement a solution that kept the project moving while ensuring long-term reliability.”
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