Weights of Switchgear and Transformers

[muuddfun]

I am working on geotechnical investigations for 3 solar farms of about 500 acres each out in the desert. The electrical engineers for the project have not yet been chosen by the client. So I hope you guys can help with some basic questions so I can complete a preliminary report for possible foundations for electrical equipment at the sites. The sites will generate about 200 MW each.

The site plan I was given shows an inverter at about every 15 acres of land. What would be the weight and dimensions of an inverter that you would use in this kind of installation? 10, 20, 50 Tons?

What is the weight of a rack 60' by 8' of solar panels?

They will have a substation installed for each of the farms.
What would be the typical equipment (swithgear, transformers, transmission poles ?) and what would be the size and weight of these items?

How sensitive to movement (settlement of the foundation) are these types of equipment?

I have done several very heavy main yard transformer foundations previously. Those transformers were about 300 tons, and oil filled. They were about 220 KV if I remember correctly. Will any of the equipment come close to this size?

 

[davidbeach]

It depends. What you've got is a cart, but what you need is a horse.

 

[ScottyUK]

If your grid connection is a single 200MVA step-up transformer then yes, it will certainly be in that ballpark. The rest of the system is too poorly defined in terms of configuration to help much. A gas-insulated indoor substation is a fraction of the size of an outdoor air-insulated design for example. A 400kV tower is a heck of a lot bigger than a 132kV tower, etc.


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