Discussion on Array Layout in Narrow and Long Ridge Areas

For photovoltaic projects in complex terrain, many of the feasible areas for layout are often the narrow strips near mountain ridges, as illustrated in the figure below:

1. Create zones

In such a long and narrow Layout area, if the southern slope and the northern slope are each divided into Layout areas, that is, divided into two Layout areas, there may be three problems:

• The mutual obstruction issue between arrays in two areas is difficult to consider;
• The arrays in two areas are not aligned, resulting in poor visual effects;
• Each area is quite cramped, with insufficient spatial utilization.

Therefore, it is recommended to divide it into a layout area, as shown in the above figure.

2. Standard layout

The conventional layout involves arranging by row, with each array following a specific gap control. This may result in arrays spanning ridges, as illustrated in the figure below (dark blue arrays):

This brings two problems:

• The pole lengths of a single array vary significantly, and to ensure the height above ground, the longest pole protrudes too far above the ground;
• The span arrays on the north-facing slope cast too long a shadow, as shown in the figure below:

3. Control the Max. pile height difference

Candela3D software supports the control of the maximum pile length difference for individual arrays. When the pile length difference at the array's location exceeds the set value, it will automatically step or adopt a shorter array for layout. Below is a comparison between controlling the pile length difference to not exceed 0.6 meters and conventional layout:

4. Conclusion

• When arranging photovoltaic arrays in the narrow and elongated area of the ridge, it is recommended to divide the south-facing and north-facing plots into a single layout area. The suggested layout method is variable pitch-optimized pitch;
• During the layout, by limiting the difference in pile length of individual arrays, it is possible to avoid arranging arrays across ridges, prevent the difference in pile length of arrays from being too large and the pile length from being too long, and also avoid the shadow area caused by arranging across ridges from being too large, thereby effectively improving the layout capacity;
• In actual use, the pile length interval can be set according to the specific project situation.