A good design is an important part of solar power plants. In fact, many estimates have shown that a small percentage of extra time and cost spent on design could result in a disproportionate percentage increase in returns from the power plant.
An EPC that compromises the quality of design of the plant to make up for the cost reduction will only spell disaster for the developer. An error at the design stage is critical for the plant as if the design is wrong, then it doesn’t matter how good a component you are using. Losses are bound to happen.
Solar Mango has seen cases where EPCs have compromised the design by using sub-optimal mounting structures. Instead of having a thickness of at least 80 microns for the galvanized structure, they had reduced it to probably 60 microns. This resulted in significant losses for the developer in the long-term.
It could even be a good idea to sub-contract the design part of the solar plant to a specialized design consultancy with expertise in this domain.
You might want to check out these questions too
- Should you go for an EPC that provides O&M (Operations and Maintenance) services as well? – Here
- What kind of guarantees are provided by a good EPC? – Here
- Can you avail a free quote from an EPC before you decide on them? – Here
- How important is the solar EPCs’ transparency in transactions? – Here
- How will the level of sub-contracting done by a solar EPC affect the power plant installation? – Here
- What value addition can solar EPCs with good industry partnerships provide? – Here
- What should I be aware of while signing contracts with EPCs? – Here
- What are the certifications you need to look for in an EPC? – Here
- What are the critical characteristics of an EPC I should be most concerned about? – Here
- How much do EPCs charge for their services? – Here
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