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GPRS Utility Locating Services helped ensure the safety and success of soil borings for a Commercial and Industrial (C&I) solar installation.
GPRS Project Manager Chris Wardrick was called out to a manufacturing facility in North Carolina, where a contractor was preparing to take soil borings as part of the due diligence work prior to installing the solar panels and related infrastructure.
Why are Soil Borings Important When Installing Solar Panels?
Conducting soil borings is a critical step in ensuring the long-term success and safety of a solar project. Soil borings provide essential geotechnical data about the subsurface conditions at the installation site. This information helps engineers and project planners understand the soil's composition, density, moisture content, and bearing capacity – factors that directly influence the design and stability of the solar panel foundations.
Failing to take soil borings leaves you at risk of encountering unexpected ground conditions that could compromise the structural integrity of the solar array. Soil that is too soft or contains expansive clay, for example, may not adequately support the weight of the racking system and panels, leading to shifting, tilting, or even failure over time. Soil borings allow for the selection of appropriate foundation types – such as driven piles, ground screws, or ballast systems – tailored to the site's specific conditions, which helps mitigate these risks.
Soil borings can also reveal potential environmental or construction challenges, such as high groundwater levels, contamination, or buried debris. Identifying these issues early in the planning phase can prevent costly delays and redesigns – and ensure compliance with local building codes and environmental regulations.
C&I Solar Explained
Commercial and industrial (C&I) solar installations refer to large-scale solar energy systems designed to meet the energy needs of businesses, manufacturing facilities, warehouses, schools, and other non-residential properties.
Unlike residential solar systems, which typically serve a single home, C&I solar projects are built to generate significant amounts of electricity – often enough to power entire operations or offset a substantial portion of a facility’s energy consumption. These systems can be installed on rooftops, carports, or ground-mounted arrays, depending on the available space and energy requirements.
One of the key advantages of C&I solar installations is their potential to deliver long-term cost savings. By generating their own electricity, businesses can reduce reliance on utility providers, hedge against rising energy costs, and take advantage of financial incentives such as tax credits, depreciation benefits, and renewable energy certificates. In many cases, solar can also enhance a company’s sustainability profile, helping meet environmental goals and appeal to eco-conscious customers and stakeholders.
From a technical standpoint, C&I solar projects require careful planning and engineering to ensure optimal performance and regulatory compliance. Factors such as system size, energy usage patterns, grid interconnection, and structural integrity of the installation site all play a role in the design process. Because of their scale and complexity, these installations often involve collaboration between solar developers, engineers, utility companies, and facility managers. When executed properly, C&I solar systems can provide reliable, clean energy for decades – making them a smart investment for organizations looking to improve their bottom line and environmental impact.
How GPRS Kept This Project On Time, On Budget, and Safe
There were no accurate as-built documents of the buried infrastructure at the manufacturing facility in North Carolina. But personnel there told Wardrick that they believed there were several utilities running through the proposed soil boring locations.
“The client was looking to have three soil borings completed on the property,” Wardrick said. “They wanted a 10’x10’ area around each boring cleared.”
Wardrick used electromagnetic (EM) locating and ground penetrating radar (GPR) scanning to investigate the soil boring locations.
EM locators detect the electromagnetic signals radiating from metallic pipes and cables. These signals can come from the locator’s transmitter applying current to the pipe, from current flow in a live electrical cable, or from a conductive pipe acting as an antenna and re-radiating signals from stray electrical fields and communications transmissions.
GPR scanners emit radio signals into the ground or a surface such as concrete, then detect the interactions between those signals and any buried objects. These interactions are displayed on a GPR readout as a series of hyperbolas, each varying in size and shape depending on the type of material that was located.
GPRS Project Managers are specially trained to interpret this data to determine what is buried under your job site and provide the approximate depth of the object.
Through the combination of his EM locator and GPR scanner, Wardrick was able to determine that there were no buried utilities interfering with the proposed soil boring locations. The contractor was so impressed with Wardrick’s rapid response and accuracy, that he was asked to clear several additional soil boring locations while on-site.
“Once we completed the locate, they got right to work,” he said. “…They wanted to be safe and cautious about digging, they wanted to make sure they’re absolutely positive they were not going to hit anything.”
The utility locating data Wardrick collected at the facility was uploaded to SiteMap® (patent pending), GPRS’ infrastructure management software application. Securely accessible 24/7 from any computer, tablet or smartphone, SiteMap ensures that the facility’s personnel and any future project partners will have access to a single source of truth from which they can plan, manage, and build better.
From soil borings to skyscrapers, GPRS Visualizes The Built World® to keep your projects on time, on budget, and safe.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What types of deliverables do I get when I hire GPRS to conduct a utility locate?
Our Project Managers flag and paint our findings directly on the surface. This method of communication is the most accurate form of marking when excavation is expected to commence within a few days of service. GPRS also uses Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) Positioning to collect data points of findings. We use this data to generate a plan, KMZ file, satellite overlay, or CAD file to permanently preserve results for future use. GPRS does not provide land surveying services.
Can ground penetrating radar (GPR) be used to verify known measurements?
We can use GPR to cross-check the measured depth and location of a located utility with existing as-built plans to verify the accuracy of plans.
Does GPRS offer same-day private utility locating?
Yes, our professional Project Managers can respond rapidly to emergency same-day private utility locating service calls on your job site.
