Contributed | DCE Solar communications and marketing manager

Handling solar builds on angled or irregular ground counts as one of the toughest ongoing tasks for project teams. Shifts in elevation raise earthwork expenses, add layers to approval processes, and frequently tighten build windows at the least convenient moments.

The Old Hill Farm installation in Jefferson Valley, New York, put forward by Woodfield Renewable Partners, shows how early choices on mounting hardware and foundations can stop later setbacks. The array reaches 6,106,490 watts overall and uses 11,414 Canadian Solar panels fixed to DCE Solar Long Span Ground Screw hardware. DCE Services carried out the mechanical work plus pre-drilling to keep every phase on track.

The Challenge

Steep and uneven slopes at the location ruled out standard driven-pile fixed-tilt setups. Leveling the ground enough for ordinary piles would have expanded earth-moving work and possibly invited extra environmental checks.

Woodfield required a mounting approach that could track the existing contours instead of forcing the ground to match a rigid plan. DCE Solar Long Span fixed-tilt hardware on ground-screw bases met that need. Independent tables spread loads separately across the field and remove the need for one continuous grade line, allowing the site to proceed with far less earthwork.

The Solution

DCE Services placed 2,620 ground screws, each 2,100 mm long and made from G115 steel, meeting the embedment depths set by the geotechnical study despite changing soil layers. Structural calculations followed ASCE 7-16 criteria using a 105 mph wind speed and 30 psf snow load, values typical for northeastern ground-mount projects.

Pre-drilling covered the entire area before any screws were driven. On simpler sites this step can be skipped, yet here it proved essential. Mapping subsurface resistance across the sloped area supplied actual soil readings rather than estimates, which delivered uniform embedment even where the profile varied.

The 11,414 Canadian Solar modules sit at a fixed 15-degree angle with at least 30 inches of clearance above grade throughout. Tilt, clearance, and long-span geometry were balanced in the design package to preserve row spacing and satisfy the wind and snow loads examined.

The finished system reached 6,106,490 WDC on ground where a conventional pile layout would have demanded noticeably more civil work. Reduced grading held costs in check and preserved the original timeline.

Final Assessment

Tyler Bonini, principal at Woodfield Renewable Partners, summarized the outcome: "Its robust design, coupled with its ability to cover extensive areas with minimal structural components, made it the perfect solution. The system is versatile, durable, and cost-efficient."

Key takeaways from Old Hill Farm are clear: where grade changes are obvious, foundation choice affects civil budgets as much as structural performance. Longer-span ground-screw systems cut the total number of footings and the site work needed to support them. A geotechnical report is never optional. The pre-drilling plan that achieved steady embedment succeeded only because subsurface data were gathered first.

About the Author

Kayla Harris serves as communications and marketing manager at DCE Solar, where she has spent five years building the company brand from its earliest stages. Located in North Carolina, Kayla earned a Master’s degree in Cultural Anthropology, a background that shapes her work in storytelling, audience engagement, and the personal elements of marketing. As an Indigenous person and human-rights advocate, she brings purpose to every task, applying the same focus to her renewable-energy work as to her activism. Prior to solar she developed her skills with nonprofit groups, where concise messaging and tight budgets quickly sharpen abilities. Kayla holds that strong brands do more than promote products; they represent values.