From PV Magazine 8/25
The American solar industry has thrive on an abundance of flat, dry land, where at least civil work was needed. But in Southeast Asia, land is limited and often uneven. Developers are routinely forced to choose between expensive assessment or continue as things are and accept a lower energy production per hectare.
Without a deep understanding of these challenges, even well -financed projects can be delayed, derailed or ultimately not being able to deliver to deliver their expected value.
Areas near volcanoes are particularly challenging. A site that we supported in Southeast Asia had a very unstable, fragmented land with poor tax-bearing capacity. The developer’s original plan was based on driven posts, but she could not support the lack of consistent detailed soil. Concrete ballast blocks were added, but heavy rainfall and incorrect drainage led to erosion around the foundations. Some structures were irreparably damaged and had to be rebuilt.
The cheapest country is often cheap not for nothing. If you do not take into account civil restrictions in your project selection and design, you will take unnecessary risk.
Soil conditions
Poor soil quality is not only an inconvenience – it is an important source of delays and costs rise. Driven piles are perhaps the most economic solution, but only if the land can support them. In regions with a high clay content, piles can shift over time or “Jack” due to seasonal expansion and contraction. In Japan, earthquakes can cause land liquefactions, whereby the soil is temporarily behaving like a liquid and the structures above it can no longer support.
On the other side of the spectrum, some sites contain rocks or boulders that make stacking drive unaffordable. In those cases, each basis must be drilled, an option that may not be available in the region.
CEA often sees developers their market for market input plans based on the land price and access to the grid. Soil rarely comes in the conversation, but a single bad decision can later force a precious redesign.
Flash floods
The climatic conditions in some APAC countries can be another important distinctive factor. Intense rainfall is, for example, common in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. Being able to rinse temporary roads, bridges can collapse of searching and exposed land can erode faster than expected.
The country itself can be a dynamic factor in APAC. Many findings from the site research, such as groundwater, power paths, vegetation thickness or even the increase in the country itself can differ considerably from one year to the following year. What is often underestimated is the wrinkle effect of poor location management – especially when drainage systems, temporary roads or bridges are not properly designed or strengthened. If these early access structures fail, this not only slows down part of the work, it can make the entire site inaccessible.
Fixed assumptions
Trackers are increasingly common in projects in the field of the American and Australian utility scale, but they are much less common in Southeast Asia, and for a good reason. Heavy rainfall and frequent cloud cover reduce the energy buyers of trackers. Complex site introduces shadow risks and makes it difficult to keep the rows of solar panels aligned. In many cases, the extra costs of foundation depth and structural reinforcement do not justify the modest production boost.
Some developers in Asia explore terrain-following trackers, and leading equipment providers develop smarter operating systems that can optimize the energy yield in cloudy circumstances. In the future, these innovations can open the door for wider adoption. Nowadays, most developers still find the fixed-tilt systems as the more practical choice.
Wind load
In regions with high weather conditions, especially those subjected to oceanic typhoons such as Taiwan and the Philippines, destructive and lifting forces must be carefully considered when systems are increased above ground level.
Some developers increase solar modules to make agricultural use possible or to reduce the risk of flooding. But a greater height means more exposure to wind, which requires deeper foundations and stronger stretch systems.
The risk is not only limited to design. If your site is surrounded by water or exposed to typhones, logistics can also be influenced. In these areas it is vital to review your assumptions on material transport, installation schedules and handling equipment.
Many of the problems of CEA could have been avoided with previous and more detailed engineering studies. But in the hurry to secure land and grid connections, the site risks are often overlooked until it is too late.
By the time that technical teams are brought in, critical decisions – such as the type of foundation, the layout and the planning – may already be locked up, even if they do not match reality on the ground. On the other hand, when engineering work is done early, potential problems can be marked before selecting the site that is not displayed on satellite cards or spreadsheets.
Although the Due Diligence appears to be an extra cost in advance, it often prevents much more expensive problems later.
About the authors
Evan Woolard is an associate director of engineering services at Clean Energy Associates. Woolard is located in Singapore and has more than 15 years of experience in the Asia-Pacific region and 20 years in energy. He helps customers with technical due diligence, risk management and engineering and construction challenges.
Nicholas Hudson is a chief engineer at Clean Energy Associates and brings deep experience in structural engineering, site -assessment and solar assets due diligence. Based in Austin, Texas, he leads analysis of site conditions, permits and building risk for projects on utility scale.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author, and do not necessarily reflect it by PV -Magazine.
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