Why You Should Consider “Auditing” Your Ground-Mount Racking: “If You Can’t Measure It, You Can’t Improve It”

For some installers, ground-mounted solar projects can go one of two ways: either a job can be completed – or it can’t.

But, what would happen if substantial obstacles, unexpected delays and cost overruns made impossible installations doable and doable installations easier?

According to management and metrics guru, Peter Drucker,

“What gets measured gets managed.” 

The point is, you can’t know whether you’re successful unless you carefully define and track what success means which involves understanding each component of a successful installation.

Many solar installers already apply this philosophy to their marketing efforts. They test different campaigns, measure results and look for ways to boost conversions. But it’s also possible to apply this same logic to actual project installations. Yet, very few ground-mounted solar contractors perform the requisite audits. They’re happy just to complete projects – even if that means dealing with occasional hiccups or reasoning that delays are inevitable. They’re simply the “cost of doing business.”

These installers are absolutely right. These costs are inevitable – because they’re neither measured nor managed.

A Business Lesson from the World’s Most Successful Business

As the world’s most valuable retailer, Amazon knows that some of its deliveries get lost or damaged en route to their destination. Rather than accept these costs as “inevitable,” the company actively works to eliminate any obstacles it can – and mitigate those that it cannot. Amazon does this by constantly auditing its operations in an effort to find areas for improvement.

As a solar installer doing ground mount projects, you should consider taking the same approach with your own business. In fact, the only way to identify potential savings is to carefully analyze what you currently spend – both in terms of time and money, the tangible and intangible.

For example, below are some of the most common costs contractors face when installing ground-mounted solar. This is where your own analysis should start:

• Assembling specialized teams.
• Coordinating outsourced or in-house equipment, heavy machinery, and maintenance.
• Geotechnical reports and time-consuming inspections.
• Delivery delays and sick days.

Reducing, if not eliminating, these obstacles can help speed up projects while simultaneously reducing costs. And this is precisely where Nuance Energy Group’s Osprey PowerPlatform^® shines.

How the Osprey Is Redefining the “Cost” of Doing Business

The Osprey PowerPlatform is a revolutionary ground-mounted solar racking system that can eliminate many of the costly hurdles and delays installers routinely face in the field:

• The system’s modular design means each unit can be assembled by a 3-person general labor team in under an hour – using nothing but handheld power tools.
• Earth anchors secure the solar racking to the ground which removes the need for costly excavations, heavy machinery rentals, concrete, additional steel and outsourced 3rd party involvement.
• No geotechnical reports are needed as the installation of the anchor is in and of itself a test of the anchor’s holding power in real time soil conditions.
• Adjustable legs enable the Osprey to take up the contour of the land thus eliminating grading in most instances.

As a result of these unique features and associated benefits, a 2MW ground-mount solar installation can oftentimes be completed in under 16 days with a minimal crew – compared to the usual 60 days. Since the Osprey helps to control the numerous soft and hard costs that typically plague ground-mounted solar installations, a 2MW project can easily save as much as $130,000 compared to “other” ground mount racking systems.

Testing That Proves the Osprey is a “No-Brainer”

Solar Energy Services – Northeast Region conducted a thorough analysis of their historic costs respective of installing ground mount. Their focus included labor, procurement, and acquisition in order to see if the Osprey PowerPlatform was indeed their best ground-mount racking option.

This audit was particularly important since they work in the Northeast – a region of the country where most ground-mount installers are plagued by difficult soil conditions and inclement weather which in most cases limits the installation season.

Solar Energy Services’ experience with the OspreyPowerplatform:

“We put together data from the 3 Osprey projects we’ve done and compared those numbers against other racking systems we’ve used. 

Based on our testing, using the Osprey is a no-brainer.” 

Even with trenching, inside conduit runs, and site availability concerns on all of their Osprey jobs, Solar Energy Services still achieved a much lower per-watt installation cost with this innovative racking technology.

Put the Osprey PowerPlatform to the Test

The best way to understand how the Osprey can make your business more profitable is to deploy it in the field. Before you do, it’s imperative that you carefully audit your existing workflow.

Take stock of all the soft and hard costs you typically incur when using traditional racking systems. Only by measuring these expenses can you truly appreciate how effective the Osprey is at eliminating them.

If you’d like to learn more about the Osprey PowerPlatform, schedule a free consultation to review your projected Osprey costs in comparison to how you are doing things today.

Call Nuance Energy Group today at 877-537-2221.

To learn more about our complete range of turnkey solar solutions for you project, schedule a free consultation with the Nuance Energy team today.