1.1MW Ground Mount System Installed in Mere 40 Days Despite Five Snowstorms

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico, April 4, 2011 — Unirac, Inc., North America's leading provider of infrastructure for solar power systems, announced today that it has teamed with Wise Power Systems in a landmark 1.1MW solar installation featuring the Unirac ISYS Ground Mount (IGM) in a northern U.S. locale. In spite of the onslaught of five major snowstorms, Wise Power Systems was able to complete —in just 40 days— the cumulative 1.1MW ground solar installation for two adjacent sites in Vineland, New Jersey. The sites, featuring 4,080 modules, are co-owned by RFC Container Co. Inc. and Russo Farms.

Unirac's innovative PV mounting solutions, including the ISYS Ground Mount, will be on display in booth 851 at the PV America trade show, held April 3-5 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia.

Preassembly is an outstanding benefit of IGM—especially in northern sites where on-site assembly is often thwarted by inclement weather. Module preassembly capability means that up to 30 percent of overall project labor can be performed indoors or on-site in a shelter—protected from the elements. This not only allows for increased installation speeds but also contributes to reduced labor rates.

"We were able to preassemble panels on North-South rails at a location 60 miles off site. Then we transported them to the site in a patent-pending racking vehicle with zero breakage, utilized a crane, and placed them on IGM with a clip to hold the modules in place while they were secured to the beam, significantly increasing our productivity," explained William Rawheiser, the president and owner of Wise Power Systems. The company boasted an installation rate as high as 70 kW in one day, with a crew of eight. "This preassembly/prewired method enabled the installation to be ‘clamp and play'," Rawheiser added.

"The brilliance of IGM is its ability to eliminate time delays in the assembly process, and ease the inherent challenges of working in inclement weather zones," said Unirac CEO Doug May. "Reduced project cycle times and cost-savings are directly tied to IGM's ability to allow for simultaneous operations: land preparation, foundation assembly, array sub assembly, and module assembly. No other PV ground mount solution on the market can offer this tremendous benefit to its customers," he added.

Another IGM advantage is its ability to cut field labor due to its I-beam design, a benefit cited by Wise Power Systems. "With only 272 I-beams needed in the ground for the entire project and no cement —versus other products that would have required 1600 poles— we were able to reduce our labor and costs, and boost our install momentum," said Rawheiser. "Moreover, Unirac's support service was exemplary. Any concerns were immediately addressed."

Unirac's dedication to being an industry leader is manifest in its products. IGM is designed to be an incredibly cost-effective system with the most scalable supply chain possible. Its groundbreaking installation rate of more than 10 modules per man-hour, components that require zero fabrication, and extreme strength-to-weight ratio make IGM the clear choice for large-scale PV projects.

Links to additional information:
• Photos: http://www.unirac.com/news/
• ISYS Ground Mount: http://www.unirac.com/mounting-solutions/isys.php
• Wise Power Systems: http://wisepowersystems.com/
• RFC Container Co.: http://www.rfccontainer.com/
• Russo Farms: http://www.russofarms.com/
• PV America: https://events.jspargo.com/pva11/public/enter.aspx

About Unirac
Unirac, a Hilti company, is North America's leading provider of infrastructure for solar power systems. Recognized as an industry innovator on both the product and process side, Unirac is one of the fastest growing companies in the solar industry. Unirac has achieve ISO 9001 certification and its industrial-grade solar mount solutions meet ‘Made in America', ‘Buy American', ARRA and Ontario Power Authority FIT and microFIT criteria. For more information about Unirac, please visit www.unirac.com.

About Wise Power Systems
Wise Power Systems is a Wilmington, DE-based global green energy company which has done work on three continents, that for more than five years has provided renewable energy project consultation and a full spectrum of design, sales, and installations of industry-leading PV solar electric power systems, solar hot water heating systems, and wind electric power systems. http://www.solarandwind.net
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Lisette Rauwendaal
Sterling Communications for Unirac
408-884-5156
lisette@sterlingpr.com