How do you deliver a transformer station to a photovoltaic farm site when there is no paved access road and the truck gets bogged down in muddy ground?

The solution to these problems is a system designed by ZPUE S.A. for the transport, unloading and foundation of the station using a caterpillar platform and hydraulic lifts.

The station and crawler platform itself is transported by its own low-loader semi-trailer, with ramps allowing direct exit. The platform together with the station can move on dirt roads. Additional advantages include the ability to negotiate uphill and downhill gradients of up to 17°. One refuelling enables a distance of up to 20 km to be covered.

This system allows the substation to be safely transported and set up under power lines and in places where it is not possible to deploy a crane, such as in compact urban infrastructures or production halls. The role of the crane is taken on by hydraulic jacks with a lifting capacity of over 20 tonnes. These are mounted to brackets that allow the substation to be lifted together with its complete equipment, i.e. installed switchgear, transformer and connections and roof.

The design of the station makes it possible to place it directly on the prepared substructure, without the need to transport and install a foundation bowl.

High-strength mats are laid on the asphalt roads for the duration of the tracked platform’s journey to protect them.

This is what Hubert Kania, Product Manager, says about the advantages of the crawler platform:

‘It is a solution that offers new opportunities in the construction of photovoltaic farms and the transport of their components, so not only the substation itself, which is the main component, but also the panels and support structures.

In addition to transport and unloading, this system has another advantage – it does not require a foundation sump. The station is placed on paved ground and cables are routed through the floor to the switchgear. The lack of foundations and foundation on a slight rise minimises the risk of flooding and damage to the concrete base. Thanks to its transport on a crawler platform, the substation arrives at the customer fully equipped with both medium- and low-voltage switchgear and transformer, as well as all the required cable connections. All that remains on the contractor’s side is the connection of the external earthing system and the cable lines.’