November 10, 2025
Freeport Oil Company Limited (FOCOL), a leading energy supplier in the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands, expanded into renewable energy sources through its subsidiary Bahamas Solar & Renewables (BSR). With the mission ‘Fueling Growth for People’, BSR wanted to strengthen its communities through clean energy. The company took an unconventional path, bypassing a traditional EPC and instead hiring local contractors for civil and electrical work to maintain economic benefits within the community.
However, building solar on an island comes with unique challenges. High winds, complex underground conditions and difficult logistics increase the risk. For its first solar project in FreeportBSR needed a trusted solar energy partner with proven expertise in extreme environments.
Overcoming difficult circumstances
Early on, the BSR team discovered the the project’s heavy soils and wind exposure required specialized technology. Terrasmart, known for tackling challenging sites, was selected to provide a foundation and scaffolding solution that could meet the site’s requirements.
Complexity of the soil: Geotechnical analysis showed a 100% rejection with a mix of bedrock, limestone, and silty sand; all conditions that could compromise reliability if not properly addressed. Terrasmart engineers recommended pull-out tests to determine the optimal foundation type and ensure stability.
Wind risk: Following the devastation of Hurricane Dorian in 2019, the Bahamas mandated that new solar farms must be able to withstand wind speeds of up to 300 km per hour. Terrasmart conducted a tilt angle study to calculate module pressure and determine the safest design that minimized stress on the panels.
Logistics: When shipping to an island, all materials had to fit efficiently into 40-foot containers. Terrasmart’s logistics team, experienced in island projects, ensured timely and accurate delivery of equipment.
With more than 50 projects in coastal and windy regions, Terrasmart has applied deep expertise to execute a sustainable, precision solution tailored to Freeport site conditions.
Foundation and scaffolding solution
Given the site’s 100% failure rate, ground screws were the logical choice for foundation stability. Terrasmart’s pullout tests, two per test point, measuring both tensile and lateral forces, validated the use of 56-inch Terrasmart 1425 ground screws. These tests confirmed the strength of the anchorage and provided the basis for the technical adjustments necessary to optimize performance.
For high wind resistance, Terrasmart engineers have chosen a tilt angle of 13 degrees, which reduces upward force and prevents overloading of the modules. A smaller table layout of 2h x 8w was chosen for extra stiffness, while BSR chose modules suitable for higher upward loads.
Terrasmart’s in-house installation team provided both the scaffolding and foundation work, a service that proved crucial for maintaining speed and quality. The final system included Terrasmart’s GLIDE Agile fixed-tilt racks on 3,936 ground screws, supporting 15,744 modules on the 6.77 MW site.
Deliver reliable results
Terrasmart completed the foundation and scaffolding installation within a month, a major achievement for an island project. The success at Freeport stemmed from three key strengths
Read the results of the case study here
Keywords: Terrasmart
