Amfisol uses glass-fiber-reinforced polypropylene components to build a modular, ballasted ground-mount system without ground anchors
Hinged connections accommodate differences of up to 15° between adjacent mounting units on uneven terrain
The east-west system has a 13° module tilt, a 10-year standard warranty and a stated design life of 25 years
Belgium-based Amfisol has developed a modular, non-metallic mounting system for ground-mounted PV. The structure uses ballast rather than ground anchors, allowing installation on surfaces where drilling is undesirable and enabling disassembly for temporary or relocatable projects.
The system is assembled from glass-fiber-reinforced polypropylene (PP) components with a UV additive. Its main parts are left and right mounting bridges, bridge plugs, profiles, profile plugs, module clamps and ballast carriers. One structural unit, which Amfisol calls a shelter, comprises 2 pairs of left and right bridges, 2 bridge plugs, 3 profiles and 4 profile plugs. Shelters can be connected in serial and in parallel to suit the available area.
For a serial connection, 2 adjacent shelters are joined with 2 additional profiles and 4 profile plugs. A parallel connection uses 2 profile plugs. Amfisol specifies at least 3 shelters in either direction. Serial runs are limited to 30 shelters, while the company states no maximum for parallel connections.
Five integrated clips provide cable routes within the structure and accommodate cables of up to 10 mm². Slide-in clamps secure the long sides of the modules. Each ballast space measures 315 × 315 × 139 mm, and Amfisol recommends concrete paving tiles measuring 300 × 300 × 45 mm.
Hinged serial and parallel connections allow up to 15° of relative inclination between adjacent shelters in any direction. The 4 ground-contact points within each shelter must, however, remain in one plane; the 15° allowance applies between shelters.
The east-west structure holds modules at a 13° tilt. It is designed for framed modules measuring 1,134 mm wide, 2,000 mm to 2,382 mm long and 25 mm, 30 mm or 35 mm thick.
Amfisol lists applications including landfill, grassland, sand, gravel, rocky ground, concrete, asphalt, archaeological sites and locations above underground utilities. The company says the structure has been assessed for wind resistance through a wind-tunnel test certified by Peutz and for stability and strength by Indurium Engineering. Its latest datasheet lists a snow-load limit of 1,000 Pa. The product carries a 10-year standard warranty and has a stated design life of 25 years.
Amfisol reports an installation rate of 11 modules per worker-hour. It also offers a 3 × 3 shelter demonstration kit for 18 modules at €500, excluding VAT and transport; PV modules are not included. The company says the kit price is deducted from a first commercial order of at least 100 shelters.
