The staff at Energy Concepts in Fresno, California takes great pride in the designs and workmanship of the solar energy systems the company installs in California’s Central Valley and the surrounding foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains.
THE “GO ANYWHERE” OSPREY POWERPLATFORM®
The staff at Energy Concepts in Fresno, California takes great pride in the designs and workmanship of the solar energy systems the company installs in California’s Central Valley and the surrounding foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Part of that pride derives from constantly improving its business by using the solar industry’s best solutions and best practices.
Whether for rooftop or ground mount, Energy Concepts uses only high-quality, long-lasting solar panels, and highly reliable inverters from trusted vendors. The foundations and racking systems are equally important to ensure high quality and durability, and the company had begun experiencing difficulty using its usual ground mount solution: concrete piers supporting a conventional rack and rail framework.
The usual solution worked well on flat land with soil that could be excavated easily for pouring the concrete piers, which is the case for most of the Central Valley. But in the foothills, the sloped terrain and rocky soils made the installations substantially more difficult. One site was so challenging that consideration was given to abandoning the project. That is, until, Energy Concepts discovered the Osprey PowerPlatform from Nuance Energy™.
“At higher elevations, we need to dig our footings to a depth of three feet, and at this particular site, we were struggling to get just six inches deep,” explains Alex Pugh, Operations Manager at Energy Concepts. “So we needed to consider some alternative solutions, and that’s when we learned about Nuance Energy’s Osprey PowerPlatform.” When Alex and his staff met with the engineers from Nuance, they knew immediately that the Osprey’s earth anchor foundation system would work perfectly at this site. The power adjustable legs would enable the platform to be leveled over the uneven ground, and if one of the legs needed to be placed over a large rock (which turned out not to be the case), it could still be secured using an expanding bolt set into a small, shallow hole that would be easy to drill.
What the Energy Concepts staff did not know at the time, was just how easy it would be to install the Osprey PowerPlatform: “We were amazed by how simple it was to place and adjust the platform, and then set and secure the earth anchors,” Alex recalls. “This project went from being one of our most difficult ground mount installations to becoming our easiest and fastest ever.”
New Market Opportunities
The installation went so well that Energy Concepts has now standardized on the Osprey PowerPlatform as its preferred solution for all of the company’s ground mount projects. “We really like the Osprey. It has such a versatile and straightforward design, and we know it will work well in any situation we might ever encounter anywhere in our target area.”
The Osprey PowerPlatform’s ability to go anywhere will create new market opportunities for Energy Concepts, and that will enable the company to grow its business profitably. “We are really pleased with both the product and the support we get, and are proud to feature Nuance Energy as one of our partners,” Alex concluded.
Would You Like to See Similar Results?
Energy Concept’s experience is hardly unique. The Osprey PowerPlatform® opens up unprecedented opportunities to install ground mount systems in areas that were previously off limits. For more examples of the Osprey in action, be sure to read some of our other ground mount solar case studies. If you’d like to learn more about this revolutionary solar racking technology, contact Nuance Energy today for a free consultation.
To learn more about our complete range of turnkey solar solutions, schedule a free consultation with a Nuance Energy representative today.