NOREASTER® - New Brunswick Gales Meet Their Match
By: Matthew Conradi
July 2020
Naming a creation is quite possibly one of the most daunting tasks I can personally recall being subjected to. This predicament increases tenfold when the creation in question is one which was conceived from the mind of an engineer, composed of metal, nuts, and bolts.
It is not a human being, so we cannot call it Stephen or Henrietta, regardless of how much I advocate to do so. It is not even a beloved pet with strange mannerisms to offer appropriate naming avenues. Our custom designed solar structure does not chew up sneakers, steal food off the counter, or even deposit excrement onto your favourite carpet; so what do we call it?
Naturally, we decided it would only be right to name our creation after its own worst enemy. The very reason for its inception; its existence looms over us every time we stand in a wide-open farmers field, surveying for a new solar installation. Not scarecrows or corn mazes, not even cows. The stuff of nightmares for any New Brunswick solar installer is in fact, wind. The effervescent blusters of a Nor’easter storm on the horizon are enough to make our wind load calculators sprout legs and sprint off into the distance.
The story of NOREASTER® began one stormy evening in the spring of 2019, with yet another failure of an off the shelf commercial racking system. New Brunswick’s ferocious winds had huffed and puffed, and the inevitable happened.
Admittedly, these failures were much less dramatic than you may expect. Although a giant whirlwind of dislodged solar panels cascading across a farmer’s field makes for a much more gripping tale, these were not the type of failures we were experiencing.
Sheared bolts, broken supports, and twisted structures are all the stuff of nightmares in the world of engineering. A nightmare which we were living.
However, no amount of cold sweats and brown paper bag assisted hyperventilation is enough to keep us from leading the solar charge in New Brunswick. Each structural failure has provided us with valuable information on what it takes to build a structure specifically tailored for New Brunswick. If we could Brainiac our way around modifying someone else’s design, then we could most certainly build our own from scratch. How hard could it be?
NOREASTER ® Conceptual Drawing
So, it was decided. The boardroom quickly fills with the potent smell of felt tip markers, complemented by the sound of chart paper being torn off its pad and subsequently crumpled up and tossed into the “nope” basket. Geekiness was in the air.
As all great designs do, ours started with some Popsicle sticks and hot glue. Many consumed Popsicles, and glue encrusted fingertips later, and we had the first design iteration of NOREASTER®. A 16-panel variable tilt mechanism which would allow the solar array to be adjusted on a seasonal basis to increase energy production.
The second iteration of NOREASTER® features a hydraulic actuator to assist in adjusting the tilt of the array, improved footing, as well as a high-strength thick gauge steel construction, which was then hot-dip galvanized before installation. This ensures the longevity of the system, even in salty Saint John.
This design has been successfully commissioned for Saint John Energy at their headquarters in West Saint John.
NOREASTER® - Saint John Energy Headquarters
We would not consider ourselves true eggheads if we stopped there. Constant innovation and improvement are what make us an industry leader. We knew we could only bask in the success of NOREASTER® for so long.
The perfect NOREASTER® needed to be designed in such a way that allows us to use bi-facial solar panels, which produce electricity on both sides of the panel, allowing you to produce more power, especially in the winter.
The crossmembers used on the first two design iterations of NOREASTER® were not ideal for bi-facial panels, as they blocked a large portion of the back side of the panels. To boot, the galvanizing process was a very costly expenditure.
Enter the third design iteration of NOREASTER®, a sleek design using pre-galvanized bent steel sheeting. This iteration removes the tilt function to both reduce cost and improve structural rigidity. This system uses a single square tube steel beam running through the center of the array to promote the use of bi-facial solar panels, as well as allowing for better wire management solutions.
Third Design Iteration of NOREASTER® - Conceptual Drawing
As much as we loved the aesthetics of this design, it did not produce the amount of energy we had hoped. Naturally, we got back to incessantly gnawing on the ends of our pencils, relentlessly pursuing the perfect combination of herbs and spices.
The most recent design iteration of to date is the brainchild of seemingly endless meetings, phone calls, measurements, and keyboard induced carpal tunnel. Inspired by previous designs’ bi-facial friendliness, this custom designed high-strength aluminum structure is designed to be everything needed to stand up to whatever Mother Nature throws at it, and then some.
NOREASTER® - Day & Ross Trucking Terminal
NOREASTER® has truly evolved into our very own brick house, and no number of huffs and puffs are blowing it down.
Developing NOREASTER® has honed many of our skills as a team. Patience and perseverance are certainly those among the forefront. It has taught us that every design can be improved upon if you look hard enough, and that having fun during the design process will ultimately produce a superior end-product. Most importantly however, it taught us not to distract Alexa, our Lead Designer, when she is engulfed in design software weaving a web of virtual aluminum components together, like some sort of super-efficient engineering arachnid.
NOREASTER® is something which has us teeming with pride. It is something that has been brought to life through countless revisions, headaches, late nights, lots of coffee, and lots of love. So when you start seeing it pop up in your neighborhood, just remember, they were made by New Brunswick, for New Brunswick.
