Utility-Scale Solar Design and Drafting by the Specialists
At Avila Solar, we offer solar design and drafting services for large utility-scale solar power plants. Our designers are trained in the nuances of large-scale systems. This comes from years of successfully drafting solar plan sets for utility-scale solar developers across the United States.
What is Included in Our Utility-Scale Solar Designs?
At Avila Solar, our engineers design utility-scale solar generation and energy storage projects for developers, EPCs, utilities, independent power producers, co-ops, and municipal utilities.
Our front of the meter systems is expertly designed to maximize energy production while minimizing inefficiencies, labor, and equipment costs. We perform independent project reviews to reduce the risk of delays and additional expenses due to errors in project plans.
Our utility-scale solar designs include:
- Feasibility studies and preliminary design mockups
- Various system designs, including:
- Fixed tilt ground-mount
- Single-axis and dual-axis tracker
- Bifacial modules
- Medium voltage
- High voltage
- Central inverter
- String inverter
- Floating PV systems
- Arc flash studies
- SCADA engineering
- Technical due diligence for optimal utility power purchase agreements
- Interconnection design and feasibility studies, application processing and troubleshooting
- Energy storage modeling
- Utility infrastructure upgrade design and mitigation strategies
- Real-time updates on the progress
- Response letters and meetings
- Preliminary single line diagrams approved by electrical engineers
Permits, Licensing, and Environmental Considerations
The permitting and licensing requirements vary dramatically based on the proposed location of the system. At Avila Solar, we can assist with ascertaining who the appropriate Authority Having Jurisdiction is and with designing solar plan sets on your behalf.
Environmental and social assessments will be performed in accordance with national and international standards, as well as all state and local guidelines.
Which Market Are You In Matters
There are two types of wholesale power markets: regulated and deregulated:
Regulated Wholesale Power Markets
Regulated power markets are limited by vertically integrated monopoly utilities, and those utilities usually own and operate all of the transmission lines, generators, and other distribution network elements that deliver electricity from power plants to homes and businesses.
Sometimes, the utilities buy power directly from renewable energy projects like utility-scale solar energy systems. In regulated markets like these, the utilities in conjunction with the Public Service Commission set the defining characteristics of what makes a solar energy project utility-scale or not.
Deregulated Wholesale Power Markets
Deregulated markets, on the other hand, are organized and competitive markets where the power that’s generated goes to the wholesale electricity market where it’s traded like any other commodity.
Energy can be traded throughout broad geographical areas thanks to interconnected Regional Transmission Organizations or Independent System Operators. In this type of market, Virtual Power Purchase Agreements and other offtake structures are allowed, which means that utility-scale projects not only have to be a certain size, but they also have to be built efficiently so that the cost of the energy produced is competitive with other energy generators in the same market.
Experts in Utility-Scale Solar Design and Drafting
Avila Solar is equipped to be your full-service utility-scale solar project developer. We specialize in all aspects of the process, including project development, design and engineering, construction, financing, and long-term care and maintenance.
We are dedicated to staying at the cutting edge of solar technology, and we are excited to share the latest solar developments with investors like you. Contact us today to get started with a free consultation.