Views: 0 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2025-10-17 Origin: Site
Under the global trend of energy transition, the photovoltaic industry, as a significant representative of green energy, is booming at an unprecedented pace. Data from the International Energy Agency (IEA) shows that over the past decade, the global installed capacity of photovoltaic power generation has grown at an average annual rate of over 20%, surging from less than 100 GW to over 1,500 GW today, and is widely applied in large-scale ground-mounted power stations, commercial and industrial rooftops, and distributed energy projects.
Pile foundation construction is the cornerstone of photovoltaic projects, playing a crucial role in supporting photovoltaic modules and resisting natural forces. Whether in mountainous areas, plains, or water bodies, stable pile foundations ensure the long-term and stable operation of photovoltaic equipment. For instance, in photovoltaic power stations in desert regions, pile foundations must withstand harsh conditions such as strong winds, high temperatures, and sandstorms, while also ensuring the precise installation of modules to achieve optimal power generation efficiency. The quality of pile foundation construction directly affects the life-cycle cost and power generation efficiency of photovoltaic power stations. Industry statistics show that power station failures caused by pile foundation issues can result in power generation losses of 5% to 10% and increase operation and maintenance costs by 20% to 30%. Therefore, efficient and reliable pile foundation construction technology is a vital support for the continuous development of the photovoltaic industry.
Behind the booming development of the photovoltaic industry, the traditional construction methods for photovoltaic piles are facing numerous challenges, which severely restrict the further development of the industry.
The traditional construction methods are inefficient. Take the common concrete cast-in-place pile construction as an example. From drilling, cleaning the hole to lowering the steel cage and pouring the concrete, each process requires a significant amount of time. In the construction of large-scale photovoltaic power stations, tens of thousands of piles need to be driven, and according to the traditional techniques, the daily construction progress is extremely limited. The construction period may last for several months or even several years, resulting in the overall construction progress of the project lagging behind and being unable to meet the energy market demand in a timely manner.
The construction quality is also difficult to guarantee. The traditional pile foundation construction is greatly affected by geological conditions and human factors. In complex geological areas such as mountains and tidal flats, the unevenness of the soil and the groundwater conditions make it difficult to control the verticality of the pile body, resulting in pile deviation and affecting the bearing capacity of the pile foundation. There are many human operation links, and problems such as unstable welding of the steel cage and insufficient concrete pouring are prone to occur. These quality risks may cause photovoltaic components to tilt or collapse in the later stage, reducing power generation efficiency and increasing operation and maintenance costs. According to statistics, the economic losses caused by traditional construction quality problems in photovoltaic power stations amount to several hundred million yuan every year.
High costs are also a major pain point for traditional photovoltaic pile foundation construction. Not only do they include material costs, such as the continuous increase in the prices of raw materials like concrete and steel, but also the rental of equipment, labor costs, and transportation costs during the construction process keep rising. At the same time, due to low construction efficiency and unstable quality, rework, maintenance, and reinforcement costs further increase the cost burden. In some remote areas, due to inconvenient transportation, the transportation cost may even increase by 20%-30% for pile foundation construction, which greatly reduces the investment return rate of many photovoltaic projects and hinders the promotion and application of the photovoltaic industry in broader fields.
(1) New drilling equipment
New drilling equipment is the vanguard of this technological revolution. The efficient rotary drilling machine is a typical representative. With a powerful power system and advanced hydraulic technology, it demonstrates outstanding performance in various geological conditions. In soft soil layers, its unique drill bit design enables rapid and stable drilling, with the drilling speed being 3 - 5 times that of traditional drilling machines; in sandy layers, by precisely controlling the drilling parameters, it can effectively avoid the risk of collapse and ensure the quality of the drilled holes. Taking a large-scale photovoltaic power station project as an example, after using the efficient rotary drilling machine, the pile foundation construction efficiency increased by 60%, and the construction period was shortened by nearly one-third.
The intelligent impact drill also performs well. It is equipped with an advanced intelligent control system, which can monitor key parameters such as drilling depth, verticality, and impact force in real time. In mountainous complex geological conditions, this system can automatically adjust the impact frequency and force according to geological changes, ensuring that the verticality deviation of the pile holes is controlled within a very small range, significantly improving the bearing capacity of the pile foundation. Compared with traditional impact drills, the construction quality stability of the intelligent impact drill has increased by 80%, effectively reducing the maintenance costs caused by pile foundation quality issues.
(2) Advanced pile material and technology
New pile material and advanced construction techniques have also brought revolutionary changes to photovoltaic pile foundation construction. High-strength prefabricated piles, such as prestressed concrete pipe piles, undergo standardized production in the factory, with strict control over raw material quality and production processes, making their strength 30% - 50% higher than ordinary concrete piles. This pile material not only can withstand greater loads but also is less prone to damage during transportation and construction, significantly improving construction efficiency. In a photovoltaic project in a coastal area, using prestressed concrete pipe piles significantly enhanced the uplift and compression performance of the pile foundation, effectively resisting the erosion of sea winds and waves, ensuring the long-term stable operation of the photovoltaic power station.
New composite material piles, such as glass fiber reinforced composite material (GFRP) piles, with their lightweight, high strength, and corrosion-resistant characteristics, demonstrate unique advantages in special geological and environmental conditions. In areas with strong corrosivity such as saline-alkali land, the service life of GFRP piles is 3 - 5 times that of traditional steel piles, and their weight is only one-third of that of steel piles, making them easier to transport and construct. At the same time, its excellent insulation performance also provides additional security for the electrical safety of the photovoltaic power station.
Advanced pile construction techniques are also indispensable. Rapid connection technologies, such as the use of high-strength bolts or advanced snap-fit connection methods, make the connection between pile bodies more convenient, fast, and with higher connection strength. During construction, this technology can reduce the connection time of a single pile from several hours in traditional welding methods to just a few minutes, significantly improving construction efficiency and reducing on-site construction time and labor costs.
Precise positioning technology uses global positioning systems (GPS), Beidou navigation systems, and advanced measuring instruments to achieve precise control of pile foundation positions. Before construction, through digital modeling and positioning planning, the pile foundation positions can be quickly determined in complex terrain; during construction, real-time monitoring and adjustment of pile position deviations ensure that the pile foundation position error is controlled within a very small range. This not only improves the installation accuracy of photovoltaic components but also optimizes the component layout, enhancing the efficiency of photovoltaic power generation. In mountainous photovoltaic projects, the precise positioning technology increases the average power generation efficiency of photovoltaic components by 5% - 8%, effectively improving the economic benefits of the project.
(1) Optimization of Construction Process
The optimized construction process is more compact and efficient. During the site preparation stage, advanced measurement and surveying technologies, such as 3D laser scanning and ground-penetrating radar, can quickly and accurately obtain site information, providing reliable basis for subsequent construction. Compared with traditional manual measurement, the efficiency is increased by several times. In the pile position positioning stage, the satellite positioning system (GNSS) and intelligent measuring instruments are linked to achieve automatic positioning and marking of pile positions, with positioning errors controlled within centimeter level, significantly reducing rework due to positioning deviations. During the drilling operation, the new drilling equipment automatically adjusts drilling parameters according to different geological conditions, significantly increasing the drilling speed and ensuring stable drilling quality. For example, in a certain project, after using the new rotary drilling machine, the drilling time for each pile was reduced from several hours to 1-2 hours. The cleaning process adopts the high-pressure gas lift reverse circulation cleaning technology, which can quickly remove the sediment at the bottom of the hole, ensuring that the sediment thickness meets the high-standard requirements, laying a good foundation for subsequent pile construction. During the pile body installation or pouring process, rapid connection technology and automated pouring equipment come into play. When using prefabricated piles, the efficient connection method can reduce the connection time of a single pile to within 15 minutes; when conducting pile pouring construction, the automated concrete pouring system can precisely control the pouring volume and speed, ensuring the compactness and continuity of the pile body concrete. The pile foundation acceptance uses non-destructive testing technologies, such as low-strain method and acoustic transmission method, to quickly detect the integrity of the pile body, promptly identify potential quality problems, and avoid later hidden dangers.
(2) Intelligent Construction Management
Intelligent construction management relies on an information management platform and intelligent monitoring system to achieve comprehensive real-time monitoring of construction progress, quality, and safety. The information management platform integrates project planning, resource allocation, cost control, and other functional modules. By establishing a project progress model, the construction plan is detailed down to daily and the construction tasks of each pile, and the actual progress is tracked in real time against the planned progress. When the progress is delayed, the system automatically issues warnings and provides reasonable adjustment suggestions through data analysis, such as optimizing the construction sequence, increasing equipment and personnel investment, etc.
In terms of quality control, the intelligent monitoring system uses sensors and image recognition technology to conduct real-time monitoring of key parameters and the construction process of pile foundations. During the drilling process, sensors collect real-time data such as drilling pressure, rotational speed, and verticality. Once parameters are abnormal, the system immediately alarms, reminding the construction personnel to make timely adjustments to ensure drilling quality. After the pile body pouring or installation, the regular quality inspection data is uploaded to the platform for data analysis and quality assessment, and measures are taken promptly to address any non-compliant pile foundations.
Safety management also cannot do without intelligent means. The intelligent monitoring cameras and sensors deployed at the construction site can monitor the safety status on site in real time, such as whether personnel are wearing safety protective equipment, whether there are violations of operating procedures, and whether there are abnormal operating conditions of equipment. Using Internet of Things technology, smart safety helmets are equipped for construction personnel, which can real-time locate personnel positions and monitor their vital signs. In case of danger, a distress signal can be quickly sent, enabling rapid rescue. Through intelligent construction management, not only is the management efficiency and decision-making scientificity improved, but also the smooth progress of construction and personnel safety are provided strong guarantees.
(1) Case Background Introduction
Take a large-scale photovoltaic power station project located at the edge of a desert in the northwest as an example. The planned installed capacity of this project is 500MW, and the land area is vast. The project site is a typical mixture of desert and gobi terrain, with loose sand and hard rocks on the surface, extremely low groundwater level, and complex geological conditions, posing extremely high challenges for pile foundation construction. When traditional construction methods are applied to deal with such geological conditions, problems such as pile body inclination and pile body fracture are prone to occur, seriously affecting the construction progress and quality.
(2) Application Process of New Tools
In this project, the construction team introduced new rotary drilling rigs and high-strength prefabricated piles. The new rotary drilling rigs are equipped with high-power engines and adaptive drilling systems, which can automatically adjust the drilling pressure and speed according to different geological conditions. During construction, the satellite positioning system is used to accurately locate the pile position, and then the rotary drilling rig quickly drills a hole. In the sandy layer, it drills rapidly, and when encountering hard rocks, the drilling parameters are adjusted to achieve efficient rock breaking. High-strength prefabricated piles are produced in the factory and transported to the site, where they are quickly connected and installed using rapid connection technology. Throughout the construction process, the construction progress and quality are monitored in real time through an information management platform to ensure that each process is carried out strictly in accordance with the plan.
(3) Comparative Analysis Results
By comparing the construction data before and after the application of new tools, the advantages are significant. The construction efficiency has significantly improved. When using traditional construction methods, the maximum number of piles completed per day is 50. However, with the new equipment and technology, the daily construction volume can reach 150 - 200 piles, and the construction period is shortened from the original plan of 18 months to 10 months, reducing by nearly 44%. In terms of cost, due to the increase in construction efficiency, equipment rental and labor costs have significantly decreased. In addition, the use of new material piles reduces material loss and maintenance costs, and the overall construction cost has decreased by about 30%. In terms of quality, the new construction technology effectively controls the verticality and connection strength of the pile bodies. After testing, the qualification rate of the pile foundation has increased from 80% in traditional methods to over 95%, and the bearing capacity and stability of the pile bodies have been significantly enhanced, laying a solid foundation for the long-term stable operation of the photovoltaic power station.
The emergence of new construction equipment and technologies has completely transformed the appearance of photovoltaic pile foundation construction, significantly improving construction efficiency, quality and economic benefits, and effectively promoting the development of the photovoltaic industry. Looking to the future, there is still a vast space for innovation in photovoltaic pile foundation construction technology.
In terms of equipment development, it will move towards more intelligent and automated directions. Future drilling equipment may be able to perform completely autonomous operations. Through artificial intelligence algorithms, it can automatically adjust construction parameters and operation procedures in real time based on geological conditions, construction progress and quality requirements, further improving construction accuracy and efficiency. The pile material will also continue to be innovated, developing new materials that are lighter, stronger, more environmentally friendly and lower in cost to adapt to different construction environments and project needs.
In terms of construction management, digital and intelligent management will be more in-depth and comprehensive. By leveraging technologies such as the Internet of Things, big data and cloud computing, real-time monitoring and intelligent analysis of the entire construction process can be achieved, predicting construction risks in advance, optimizing resource allocation, further reducing construction costs and improving project management levels.
Continuous innovation is the core driving force of the photovoltaic industry's development. Only by constantly exploring new technologies and methods can photovoltaic pile foundation construction become more efficient, reliable and economic, providing a solid guarantee for the photovoltaic industry to play a greater role in global energy transformation, and promoting the human society to accelerate its progress towards a green and sustainable energy era.
