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MACHINE CONTROL
vol. 3 issue 2
THE MAGAZINE FOR MACHINE CONTROL AND POSITIONING
Positioning
the
Sun’s Energy
iPad &
Tablet Ready!
Vermeer’s PD10 pile driver driving posts
for a large solar array in California.
Displayed with permission • Machine Control Magazine • Vol. 3 No. 2 • Copyright 2013 Spatial Media • www.machinecontrolonline.com
Positioning
the Sun’s Energy
I
t is predicted that by 2030, global
consumption of energy will have
increased 40%; thus, many world
leader’s and energy executives are
concerned about how to meet these
accelerating energy demands.
While most energy debates focuses on
the cleanliness and eco-friendliness of
energy sources, the simple concern about
how to produce enough energy to meet
demand seems to trump all arguments.
Yes, we are all in favor of affordable,
cleaner energy. However, the importance
of cost and cleanliness diminishes
somewhat in comparison with the
problem of shortage. Thus, it is prudent
to employ a comprehensive, multi-source
energy strategy going forward.
Lets briefly examine some of the current
energy facts and trends, 2012 vs 2011
◾◾Global coal consumption increased
by 5.4%, making it the fastestgrowing form of energy outside of
renewables. Coal accounts for 30.3%
of global energy consumption, the
highest share since 1969.
◾◾Natural gas consumption grew by 2.2%.
◾◾Shale gas and shale oil are expanding
rapidly, mostly in the United States.
◾◾China overtook the US as the largest
generator of power in 2011.
◾◾In 2012, the United States had
the largest oil production growth
outside OPEC countries for the 3rd
year in row.
◾◾North America is likely to become
energy independent by 2030.
◾◾In 2012, the largest increase in
renewable energies was seen in
solar energy.
There are powerful forces that will
help the world meet its energy needs.
For example, there is a tremendous
increase in energy efficiency, allowing
for more GDP to be produced with less
energy. This has been a result of the
competitive pressure of energy costs
among providers.
Another economic force spawned
by competition exists on the supply
side. There is a never-ending pursuit
to develop new technologies that can
By Randy Noland
Displayed with permission • Machine Control Magazine • Vol. 3 No. 2 • Copyright 2013 Spatial Media • www.machinecontrolonline.com
facilitate the emergence of alternative
energy sources but also access to
traditional energy sources not previously available. Shale gas and tight oil
are a result of such progress.
Geopolitical Energy Shift
North America will continue to see
increases in energy production not
because the resources are concentrated
there but rather its above-ground
conditions are suitable for further
development of new technology.
Open markets and a stabile political
environment breeds competition for the
development of new efficient technologies. Companies feel secure to invest.
North America is predicted to
become energy independent by 2030.
If this happens, other countries will
become more energy dependent due to
A laser receiver is used to drive the post to
the exact height without operator interaction.
their increase in demands and inability
to meet them with their own resources.
This will affect global energy economics.
Today, half of the US trade deficit is
from energy imported to fill voids in
demands. To the extent that the United
States becomes almost self-sufficient,
that portion of the US deficit will shrink
which will cause energy deficits in other
countries to rise. This is again due to
increased demands and less exports
from the United States.
Renewable Energy
Over the past several years, renewable
energy sources-such as solar energy–
have become increasingly important
contributors to the world’s store of
available energy. Solar power generation
was up 86% in 2012 over 2011 gaining
market share; however, it still comprises
only 2.1% of global energy use. Its use
will continue to increase, as that of
most technologies in the alternative
energy sector.
Displayed with permission • Machine Control Magazine • Vol. 3 No. 2 • Copyright 2013 Spatial Media • www.machinecontrolonline.com
Rapid renewable growth remains
contingent on government support.
Renewables as a subsidized sector are
not subject to market competition, being
costly and not yet competitive. The hope
is that renewables will become competitive as prices fall, which seems likely.
Positioning Technology and
Energy Production
Positioning technologies have played
a role in energy production, primarily
in surface mining. Benefits in the form
of coal production increases along
with reduced machine costs are well
documented. The recent boom in
solar farm installations has affected
the design and manufacturing of new
application-centric machines as well as
application-centric positioning systems.
For example, to answer the need for
quick-working, accurate equipment,
Vermeer has developed the PD10
pile driver. The PD10 was specifically
designed to meet the tight accuracy
tolerances demanded by commercial
solar contractors and the expansive solar
fields they install.
The Challenge—
Positioning Piles
The construction of solar farms begins
with a series of piles or posts driven into
the ground per design. The design is a
grid with a typical tolerance of 1cm x and
y horizontally and .5 cm vertically. Once
the piles are in place, the solar panels are
installed on top of the piles in accordance
with the accuracy requirements.
These grids are usually established
using traditional survey methods. Some
sites will establish a baseline with a total
station or GPS receiver. A tape is pulled
between the two points and stakes, and
Post extraction—when post installation is
affected by obstacles in the ground, the driving
operation can be reversed for post extraction.
“whiskers” are used to mark the grid
points along the baseline.
There are a couple of issues with
this method. First, the construction
company often must rely on an outside
firm to establish the base points and
mark the intermediary grid points. Of
course this incurs an expense in money
and time before construction can
begin. Most contractors want the ability
to manage this portion of the work
internally, if possible.
Another issue is the removal or
location “disturbance” of the stakes.
Displayed with permission • Machine Control Magazine • Vol. 3 No. 2 • Copyright 2013 Spatial Media • www.machinecontrolonline.com
This can happen because of adverse
weather conditions or machines
and vehicles roving across the site
unintentionally disturbing the markers.
This can be very frustrating because
the discovery of slight positional
disturbances occurs while assembling
the solar panels, after-the-fact.
Vandalism is also a common problem.
The cost associated with traditional
survey methods is between $2.00 and
$4.00 per stake, racking up a substantial
expense over the life of the project.
For example, many solar farms have
between 100,000 and 800,000 stakes.
Sites may have 5 to 10+ pile-driving
machines working on a single site. A
positioning system investment that
increases efficiency while reducing
survey costs is easily justifiable.
Summary of Requirements
◾◾Accuracy
◾◾Efficiency
◾◾Reliability of the stake/marker
position
◾◾Cost
◾◾Contractor’s ability to control
schedule without relying on
a surveyor
The Solution
All controls are ergonomically placed.
The challenges discussed above are
common in repetitive measurement and
staking processes. Pile driving, especially
for solar farms is easily enhanced by
applying 3D machine control and
positioning technology. It is actually a
simpler application when compared to
the articulation monitoring complexities,
software calculations challenges and so
forth, that can occur in dredging, landfill
compaction, fine grading, 3D drilling, etc.
Nate Harmon, an application sales
specialist at RDO Integrated Controls
Displayed with permission • Machine Control Magazine • Vol. 3 No. 2 • Copyright 2013 Spatial Media • www.machinecontrolonline.com
in Phoenix, Arizona, was approached
last August by a contractor looking for
solutions that might improve their solar
pile-driving efficiency.
“Our customer was looking for
methods that would reduce or eliminate
the cost of a survey firm,” Nate said.
“We started by selling and training them
on a GPS base and rover system. This
equipment allowed the customer to
stakeout design points similarly to the
the survey company. This solution did
provide the independence our customer
was looking for.” Nate added, “It didn’t
take long for the customer to ask if they
could somehow put a similar system on
their pile-driving machine.”
Additional sensors enhance the positioning performance of the machine.
Positioning System
Anatomy
Positioning systems are fairly new in
solar-farm pile driving; they are a work
in progress. This diagram depicts the
anatomy of a basic system.
Summary of Positioning
System Components
1. GNSS Receivers and Antennas
two RTK GNSS receiver positions provide precision location
and heading.
2. Pitch and Roll Sensor-indicates
mast/feeder plumb.
3. Laser Receiver-augments GNSS
elevation with higher accuracy.
The laser sensor indicates to the
machine when the desired elevation is reached and automatically
slows and then stops the hammer.
This is independent from the
GNSS positioning.
4. Computer Display with application
software-A rugged, environmental
computer and display is required
because most of these machines
are open cab and therefore exposed
to the elements. Each positioning
company providing solutions in
this space approaches the software
differently. Take a look at each
company’s software before making
a final decision, and see what
works best for your operators, data
workflow, and overall company
goals. The user interface and data
workflow are key considerations
for purchase.
Several enhancements are under
development by the various positioning companies. These enhancements
may involve a laser-range finder for
monitoring hammer elevation. This
would augment GNSS elevation
providing better accuracy (3mm over
GNSS’s 1cm) and would offer no laser
transmitter setup (note the current
laser augmentation as shown in the
Anatomy image). Hydraulic controls
to autonomously position the machine
including plumbing the feeder, could
all increase efficiency and accuracy
while reducing the required skill level
of the operator.
Companies such as Vermeer are
enhancing these machines’ capability
and working closely and openly with
positioning system providers, all of
which benefits the customer with
ever-evolving features.
Summary
Energy drives our economies and our
lives. Global demand will continue
to accelerate at an alarming rate, and
we must maintain an “all hands on
deck” approach to energy production
nurturing technologies that bring
efficient alternative energy sources.
Positioning technology will continue
to play a role as our energy landscape
continues to change. MC
Randy Noland is the Managing Editor and
Cofounder of Machine Control Magazine.
References
Watch the Vermeer PD10 work-4 videos
vermeer.com/vermeer/NA/en/N/
equipment/pile_driver/pd10
Christof Rühl-Group Chief Economist, BP
bp.com/extendedsectiongenericarticle.
do?categoryId=9048887&content
Id=7082549
Pile-Driving Machine Manufacturers
Vermeer vermeer.com/vermeer/NA/en/N/
equipment/pile_driver/pd10
Orteco orteco.com/en/chisiamo.php
Positioning Systems-Light Pile Driving
(Solar Farms)
Carlson Software Machine Control
carlsonmachinecontrol.com
Leica Geosystems
leica-geosystems.com/en/MachineControl_4677.htm
Measuretronics
measutronics.com
RDO Integrated Controls
rdointegratedcontrols.com
Trimble
www.trimble.com
*This is not a complete list of available piledriving machines or positioning systems.
If you are aware of others, please email
editor@machinecontrolonline.com and once
I have verified your submission, I will be
happy to add it to this list.
Displayed with permission • Machine Control Magazine • Vol. 3 No. 2 • Copyright 2013 Spatial Media • www.machinecontrolonline.com