A Solar Solution, Paving the Solar Way
“The growing traction of Solar in the energy complex & coupling with hot-dip galvanizing coating is sure to pave the path for greater penetration in the industry for zinc.”>-->
Utility scale solar energy has required developers, Solar Tracker leaders, design teams, fabricators and the hot-dip galvanizing industry to work together to fully harness power from the sun. Coming together in the desert of McCarmey, TX, collaboration began to compete with conventional forms of energy and deliver renewable energies and clean technologies.
This Roadrunner Solar Plant project in TX promises to generate approximately 497MW of solar energy annually. To put it in perspective, that’s enough to power more than 100,000 U.S. homes and it’s driven by Array Technologies. With more than 1.2 million advanced bi-facial solar panels, the Roadrunner Solar Plant is one of the largest of its kind in the world and the largest operational solar farm in Texas. Sitting on an incredible 2,770 acres, it has an oversized impact on our shared environment by avoiding the emission of over 800,000 tons of CO2 per year.
The hot-dip galvanized component of these solar trackers includes 5–30 pound steel brackets fabricated by General Stamping & Metalworks. In total, an impressive 650 tons of steel brackets were galvanized for the Roadrunner Solar Plant.
Hot-dip galvanizing has been chosen because of its track record in corrosion control over design life in tandem with cost effectiveness. Solar projects operate in a demanding continuous workflow once installed and any repairs or maintenance results in costly disruption to service. For this reason, hot-dip galvanizing has become the solar industry’s preferred method for corrosion protection. Furthermore, the uniform and complete coverage of hot-dip galvanizing is superior to other coatings because it provides even protection to edges, corners and threads with coating thickness equal to or greater than flat surfaces. The alloy layers of zinc and iron become an integral part of the steel in the hot-dip galvanizing process and become harder than the steel itself.