Commercial Installation with Pictures

[Sunking]

Thought I would share a commercial installation my company completed a few months ago. It is a Bank in North Texas.

[FloridaSun]

Thought I would share a commercial installation my company completed a few months ago. It is a Bank in North Texas.

REALLY cool, Dereck! Absolutely the best solar rack I've seen... functional and artistic.

[Sunking]

REALLY cool, Dereck! Absolutely the best solar rack I've seen... functional and artistic.

Well thanks, wished I could take all the credit, but I cannot. My company can take full credit, but not me alone. The pole design itself was designed by my partner who is an Architect and the artist of the bunch. I did the electrical and was challenged because if you notice there are two different panel types being used rather than one.

[SunEagle]

Well thanks, wished I could take all the credit, but I cannot. My company can take full credit, but not me alone. The pole design itself was designed by my partner who is an Architect and the artist of the bunch. I did the electrical and was challenged because if you notice there are two different panel types being used rather than one.

Very artistic and functional too. Nicely done.

[DanS26]

Good work.

Just wondering if the top sign throws shade on the top rack? Mitigated by micro-inverters maybe?

[Sunking]

Just wondering if the top sign throws shade on the top rack? Mitigated by micro-inverters maybe?

Yeah I was afraid someone would ask that question. Shows you know a little something.

Yes the sign does cause losses from shading. Originally the pole did not have the sign. It was added after we built it. The Bank marketing officer wanted a sign. We proposed to add another pole located away from the panel array, but the bank wanted no part of that extra expense. So they made us add it on. Strutually we could not get it any higher than we did. We informed the bank by doing so they would cut energy production by some 10 to 20 %.

They replied back they did not care about the energy losses, it was done for PR purposes. The CFO said he did not care if the thing worked or not. As far as he was concerned we could just turn the thing off because in TX it is a liability and not an asset. Its only purpose was PR. So to them it does not matter if it functions or not.

One of these days I will have to go down to Plano and take pictures of a 500 KW system we did for Walmart. They spent a lot of our money to build the system that saves them some $800/day at our expense. Walmart ended up not paying 1-dime for it. All at the tax and rate payers expense. What is really troubling is Walmart has at last count 12 solar systems all at our expense making them money and using the free PR claiming to be Green.

[green]

Very nice. Thanks for sharing Dereck. I love it when designers think outside the box.

[Sunking]

Very nice. Thanks for sharing Dereck. I love it when designers think outside the box.

Thanks, that is what we do and appreciate your comments.

[inetdog]

Thanks, that is what we do and appreciate your comments.

I like the way the tree is "leaning" in one direction to avoid shading, but still looks good. For real PR with no practical benefit, you could have put sunflower style trackers on the panel sets.

[DBaldwin]

whats with the bare poles? or is that an engineering thing because it makes the entire thing look unfinished. IMO let us know how that holds up.
Solar panels are not art they are current sources

[DanS26]

Structually we could not get it any higher than we did. We informed the bank by doing so they would cut energy production by some 10 to 20 %.

The wind load calculations must have been very complicated. My hats off to the engineer. Adding that sign at the end must have thrown a monkey wrench into the calculations.

[Sunking]

whats with the bare poles? or is that an engineering thing because it makes the entire thing look unfinished. IMO

Well FWIW we did consider painting a faux painting a tree bark pattern, but the bank liked the drab flat olive color we started with.

[DBaldwin]

I'm sorry I wasn't talking about your paint job the three "branches" that go into space. Leaves me wondering is it still growing? The paint looks great perfect color to blend.

[Sunking]

The wind load calculations must have been very complicated. My hats off to the engineer. Adding that sign at the end must have thrown a monkey wrench into the calculations.

Yeah that is why we could not elevate the sign higher to clear the panels. Even th eAHJ questioned it and made us show the calculations before he would sign off on it. City is concerned because what you cannot see is the pole is right at the Emergency Entrance to a Hospital, and at a major road in front of the bank. Sets right on the corner intersection. A north wind could blow it down on the highway, an East wind drop it on the Emergency Vehicle entrance to the hospital. Good news is a South or west wing drops it in the bank parking lot. None of which are likely and would be acts of God if it did happen. Acts of God are immune to law suits.

[Sunking]

I'm sorry I wasn't talking about your paint job the three "branches" that go into space. Leaves me wondering is it still growing? The paint looks great perfect color to blend.

My bad. Yep for future expansion we gave them for free. Seriously doubt it would ever be used, especially with the added sign pretty much ate up our wind load budget.