Resilient Solar Racking System to Provide Consistent Electricity to Regions Impacted by Natural Disasters

Quest Renewables believes that a renewal of project DE-SC0020038 into Phase IIB will result in significant improvements in the resiliency of solar plants. As part of the Phase II research project, Quest Renewables designed and conceptualized a number of industrysignificant technologies and methods: 1) Windmaster™, 2) Windmaster Perimeter Shield™, 3) Superstrut, and 4) FAST Array. The proposed renewal research project is focused on further developing the Windmaster and the Windmaster Perimeter Shield, which are a ground mount racking system and an embodiment of the system, respectively. Specifically, Quest Renewables has identified a novel racking feature, called the Passive Aerodynamic Modification or PAM, which will strengthen ground mount array designs against strong wind speeds. Quest Renewables seeks additional time and funding to research, develop, and test this new feature in partnership with SBIR. PAM is a solution to address the high costs of wind-resilient racking systems, and reduce the costs and mitigate the risk associated with the anticipated passage of new, more stringent International Building Code (IBC) changes. The feature works by failsafe initiation of reconfiguration of the photovoltaic modules to reduce wind uplift forces and bolster the system against potentially damaging windspeeds. In Phase I and II, the Quest Renewables team conducted various activities to advance the Windmaster and its embodiments including: two Failure Mode and Effects Analyses, several structural tests, one prototype demonstration, a third-party Bankability study, and initial procurement for an upcoming pilot project (results anticipated in July 2023). In Phase IIB, Quest Renewables intends to further develop the PAM feature. This will involve design, testing, and additional iterative design to improve the feature. In the second year of the project, the team will conduct a full-scale commercial pilot demonstration of one of the Windmaster Embodiments. The goal is to effectively develop a feature which can be used both within the Windmaster design and also adapted to improve other ground mount systems on the market.