The Solar Mechanical Design Engineer is responsible for the physical architecture of the solar system. They will design mounting structures, tracking systems, and site layouts that maximize module density while ensuring long-term structural stability against wind, snow, and seismic loads.
Key Responsibilities
1. Structural Design & Layout
- Site Optimization: Create detailed 3D site layouts and GCR (Ground Coverage Ratio) analyses to minimize inter-row shading.
- Mounting Solutions: Design or specify racking and mounting solutions for diverse surfaces (pitched roofs, flat ballasted systems, or ground-mount piers).
- Terrain Analysis: For ground-mounts, analyze terrain slopes and cut and fill requirements to ensure the racking system follows the land contours.
- Custom Drafting: Draft custom mechanical parts, such as brackets, enclosures, or specialized fasteners, using SolidWorks or AutoCAD.
- Collaboration: Coordinate with the internal team to prepare the initial drawing as per details received from the field.
2. Analysis & Compliance
- Load Calculations: Perform and coordinate for structural calculations for dead loads, live loads, and wind uplift in accordance with local building codes.
- Thermal Analysis: Calculations for mechanical stresses caused by thermal expansion and contraction of long rail runs.
- Material Specification: Specify materials and coatings (e.g., Hot-Dip Galvanized, Anodized Aluminium) based on the projects environmental corrosively.
- Compliance & Approvals: Ensure the system design is as per site requirement and if any routing is getting changed, inform the internal and customer team for their approval.
