Using TaskMapper, a solar developer/EPC company does a high-speed suitability study for a large tract of land for solar asset construction.
At a Glance
A solar asset developer wants to swiftly assess the suitability of a large land parcel to construct a solar power plant.
It uses the Maps solution of the TaskMapper platform for solar to conduct topography and hydrology studies.
SenseHawk provides land study reports for the 600-acre land parcel within an impressive 2-day window.
The Problem
An EPC company, with 1+ GWp capability across utility-scale and rooftop solar, wants to assess a large land parcel for a potential project. Solar site feasibility studies take multiple factors into consideration, including but not limited to the following parameters for the desired project area: land slope, elevation, water-flow path, and drains, all of which must be optimal to build a utility-scale solar project
The Solution
The EPC approaches SenseHawk to conduct land studies to identify if the site is suitable for the solar power plant. SenseHawk’s unified platform for solar, TaskMapper, provides effective software tools to manage each stage of the solar asset lifecycle.
In the planning stage, TaskMapper helps simplify site assessment and approval with Al/ML-based insights from drone scans and geospatial data. Digital surface and terrain models (DSM/DTM) built on the platform help project planners visualize and examine terrain elevation, slope, and water features for the site. Understanding hydrological patterns enables proper water management, reducing the risk of erosion and flooding.
The detailed reports generated on the platform allow proper estimation of cut and fill requirements and identify locations for solar installations that maximize energy capture and minimize environmental impact.
To serve the needs of the solar EPC client, the SenseHawk team uses Maps, the terrain and construction progress visualization feature of the TaskMapper platform. Using drones equipped with specialized sensors, high-resolution imagery is captured, allowing for a comprehensive analysis of the site's terrain, shading, and other critical factors. AI algorithms process this data to provide actionable insights to inform design iterations for more efficient solar panel placement and increased energy yield, reducing the risk of costly rework.
Terrain map view of the potential solar site on the TaskMapper platform
The Result
The SenseHawk team completes the topography and hydrology assessment and provides reports in an impressively short time frame. The topography analysis of 600 acres of land was done within 2 days. Elevation studies are provided for the complex terrain with an elevation difference of up to 60 meters.
Detailed reports within the accuracy defined by the customer are provided on the TaskMapper platform. The expert in-house team also completes the hydrology analysis to meticulously identify and chart potential water flow paths, drainage patterns, and areas prone to erosion.
Final land study reports, including elevation details, are made available on the platform for informed decision-making
The Impact
Based on the topography and hydrology reports and visualizations on the TaskMapper platform, the EPC is able to make a swift decision. The site is found to be largely suitable for the construction of the solar power plant. The design is optimized to exclude a few areas where the slope is too high to make grading economical. Without TaskMapper, a similar study would have required much more time and resources, incurring higher costs.
Armed with the detailed land studies, the EPC finalizes a design to ensure optimal placement of solar modules for efficient energy production and begins project construction.
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Related Tags
Solar PV, Digitization, Asset Management, Solar O&M, Field Teams, Mobile App, Digital Twins, Construction Monitoring, Quality Control, Workflows
