Construction

Solar tracker pile

ActiveUpdated: 28 October 2026Published

Key innovation

A dedicated driven steel foundation pile that serves as a single support point for a single-axis tracker row instead of a cast concrete footing, enabling fast, mechanised installation of utility-scale PV mounting structures.

How it works

Based on geotechnical surveys and load tests (pull-out, lateral), the section, length and embedment depth of the pile are selected. The steel section is driven into the ground by impact (hammer) or vibration to the target embedment; the above-ground portion (reveal) carries the bearing and the torque-tube bracket. A piling machine or robot positions the pile to the design grid and controls plumb and alignment during driving so that the heads of adjacent piles form a straight line for the torque tube. Deviations beyond tolerance require correction or re-driving.

Problem solved

Ground-mount PV plants need fast, repeatable and low-cost foundations for thousands of tracker rows across variable soil conditions. Cast concrete footings are slow and costly; a driven steel pile installs a foundation in a single operation, with high throughput and repeatable geometry.

Components

Steel pile sectionLoad-bearing shaft

Load-bearing steel section (H-pile, W-section, C-channel or Σ/C profile) forming the shaft of the pile.

Embedded lengthLoad transfer to soil

Portion of the pile driven into the soil, transferring vertical and lateral loads into the ground.

Above-ground reveal and tracker connectionTorque-tube mounting point

Above-ground part of the pile with the mounting for the bearing and bracket that hold the tracker torque tube.

Official

Implementation

Implementation pitfalls

Refusal on rock or buried obstructionsHigh

Hard ground, rock or boulders can prevent driving the pile to design depth (refusal), forcing pre-drilling or a change of foundation.

Fix:Geotechnical surveys and pile load tests before installation; pre-drilling or an alternative foundation type in difficult zones.

Plumb and alignment out of toleranceHigh

Deviation of individual piles from plumb or from the row line accumulates into torque-tube curvature and hinders tracker assembly and operation.

Fix:Control of positioning and plumb during driving (guides, sensors, piling robot) and correction of out-of-tolerance piles.

Corrosion and in-ground durabilityMedium

Aggressive or moisture-variable soil can accelerate steel corrosion in the ground-line zone, shortening foundation service life.

Fix:Select corrosion protection matched to soil aggressiveness and include a corrosion allowance in design.

Hyperparameters (configurable axes)

Pile section profileHigh

Type of steel section (e.g. H-pile, W-section, C-channel, Σ/C profile) selected for loads and soil conditions.

Embedment depthCritical

Length of pile driven into the ground, governing pull-out and lateral capacity; determined from geotechnical testing.

Reveal heightHigh

Height of the above-ground portion of the pile, setting ground clearance and the tracker rotation axis position.

Plumb and alignment toleranceCritical

Allowable deviations of plumb and pile-head position; exceeding them causes curvature of the torque tube.

Corrosion protectionMedium

Steel protection (e.g. hot-dip galvanising) selected for soil aggressiveness and required plant service life.