US Start-up To Build 100MW Solar Power Plant On The Ground
Jan 09, 2023
Erthos claims that with its company's new installation method, solar installations have a third of the footprint of conventional PV plants and are expected to save 20% on installation costs.
Arizona-based startup Erthos has developed a new method of installing solar power plants directly on the ground without the need for an installation structure.
In a statement, the company said, "It takes advantage of the ground's heat absorption properties to provide unparalleled aerodynamics and is the lowest cost installation method in the world."
Erthos claims that the new method requires only half the original time and a third of the land to build a solar power plant compared to a traditional ground-mounted facility. The new method also reduces the use of cables and trenches by 70 per cent and is reported to reduce installation costs by at least 20 per cent.
Daniel Flaningan, head of marketing and products at Erthos, said that the project was designed to require only light civil engineering work. The method is also suitable for different terrains with little or no grading. Furthermore, according to the company, projects built with the system can withstand "category 4" hurricanes.
The company recently signed an agreement with US developer Industrial Sun LLC to build a new solar project with an installed capacity of more than 100 MW in Texas.
"Because this is an area with very little developable land, developers cannot install such a large project using conventional solar technology, which typically requires five to six acres of land per megawatt," Erthos said, "compared to direct ground-mounted solar PV installations require less than 2.5 acres of land per megawatt, achieving more than twice the energy density of conventional systems."
The company is providing a software platform and long-term energy services for its ground-mounted solar systems, including full operations and maintenance. It also offers robotic cleaning services. In addition to the US, the company has operations in Latin America, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, India and Asia.
