Road and access design
BACKGROUND
Preliminary development of the alignment of internal roads is necessary for access to wind and solar farms, minimising earthworks. This means developing plans, longitudinal sections and cross-sections, defining platforms and measuring earthworks.
Simulating the movements of vehicles transporting blades, cranes and tower sections along the internal roads of the wind farm may also be required.
SOLUTE has worked on developing the preliminary designs for two hybrid farms at Amaltea and Collada in Extremadura, Spain.
Wind and solar farms are often located in hard-to-access areas that need to link up with the general road network to enable transport of the elements that constitute these facilities. This is no ordinary transport. The various elements to be moved are large and it is often the size of the components that determines the characteristics of the general alignment.
Principally, the positions of the wind turbines must be available, generating an alignment of the access roads that connect the main roads with the wind turbines and the solar farm, following the specifications of the different manufacturers' teams. This will be associated with a series of limitations on road gradients and widths, curve radii etc., which must be taken into account, while paying special attention to earthworks to ensure that they are carried out in the most balanced way possible.
Once the alignment has been defined, the plans, profiles and cross-sections are drafted, along with other potential details such as platforms, possible foundations to be used etc.
Once the alignment meets the manufacturers' requirements, the vehicle movement study is done in case there is a need for special access studies for certain vehicles.
Along with the road planning, the different aerial or underground power lines will be located and entered onto the plans, after analysis by an electrical engineer.
All of this work defines and resolves access for the assembly and maintenance of the different components that constitute the farms.
RESULTS
SOLUTE provides a complete descriptive report of the work carried out, which contains plans, elevations, profiles etc. With the use of the appropriate tools, this allows the farm, and real measurements of earthworks and overhead lines, to be properly defined.
EXPERIENCE
SOLUTE has been working on road planning projects for hybrid farms located in Spain and abroad since 2019.
An optimal road alignment design for a wind or solar farm requires advanced support software to minimise earthworks
METHODOLOGY
The work involves situating the wind turbines based on the client's geographical, land availability and other restrictions. The section type to be used is also defined. The layout is shown in plan and elevation views of the centrelines of the road alignments, in accordance with the criteria established by the wind turbine manufacturers. The drainage, location and design of the related actions are also studied.
The process then moves on to the design and location of the platforms, as well as the location of trenches, overhead lines and communication networks, which are also defined in plan, elevation and cross-section views. Lastly, the project description, plans and measurements are prepared.
A working knowledge of Autodesk tools is required to run all of these steps. These tools include Infraworks, for situating the farm and pre-designing the alignments, and Civil 3D, for designing the roads and obtaining plans and measurements.
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