In the design and construction of a photovoltaic solar plant, platforms and the ensuing earthworks are of prime importance, and are often needed to be undertaken prior to the installation of the photovoltaic structures, transformers, roads, and other structures required for the project.
 
For some projects, the ground must be levelled to obtain the permitted slopes for the installation of solar panels. This process of levelling, or cut and fill as it is also known, can use a huge amount of resources and, therefore, generate huge costs.
 
The phases of the cut-and-fill process and the subsequent design of platforms is as follows:

> Carrying out a detailed topographic survey of the zone in question
> Geological modelling of the zone
> Making geological cross-sections to ascertain the morphology of the natural underlying land
> Making topographic sections with the implemented earthworks
> Comparing different alternatives and choosing the best alternative in terms of the volume of material displaced

 

Having an appropriate earthworks design, together with the best possible design of the platforms generated to avoid the need for the external supply of fill materials, is absolutely critical in driving down budget costs as much as possible.