With solar developments increasing across regions that are susceptible to frost heave, developers and asset owners’ awareness in knowing what to look for in frost susceptible soils as well as what questions to ask, will prove paramount to ensure reliable long-term assets.

Fort Myers, Florida — October 18, 2019: TerraSmart today announced it will be hosting its second annual open house on Tuesday, October 29, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., at its Northeast operational hub in Albany, New York. The open house event will feature a panel of experts speaking in detail about the challenges of building in frost susceptible soils and how to properly design foundations to avoid frost jacking. Frost jacking is when an upwards swelling of soil occurs during freezing conditions, known as frost heave, forces a structure to jack, or lift the solar foundation out of place.

With solar developments increasing across regions that are susceptible to frost heave, developers and asset owners' awareness in knowing what to look for in frost susceptible soils as well as what questions to ask, will prove paramount to ensure reliable long-term assets. The panel discussion will be based around understanding which soils are prone to frost jacking; how it occurs; foundation options to combat frost jacking; affects frost jacking has on ground mount structures; and how to properly design to withstand these added forces on the foundation.
"As emerging solar markets in New York, Vermont and Maine continue to gain traction, the likelihood that more and more sites will encounter frost susceptible soils is significant. TerraSmart's open house event will provide an educational platform for industry colleagues to learn, network and gain a better understanding of how to overcome these challenges that will aid in higher quality and reliable solar foundations," says TerraSmart CEO Ryan Reid.
David Sandbank, Vice President of Large-Scale Renewables, NYSERDA said, "As one of the fastest growing solar markets in the nation, New York is attracting more and more out-of-state companies like TerraSmart who want to bring their business to New York. I commend them for hosting this open house and bringing to light important best practices that will help maximize the life of projects across the state."

Date: October 29, 2019
Location: TerraSmart Ops Facility
1273 River Road
Selkirk, NY 12158
Open House: 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Location: TerraSmart Ops Facility
1273 River Road
Selkirk, NY 12158
Open House: 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Panel Discussions: 11:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. (Session 1) / 1:45 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. (Session 2)
There will be a food truck providing lunch throughout the day as well as a local beer from Brown's Brewing served on tap.
Networking Reception: The Malt Room, 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
417 River Street
Troy, NY 12180
RSVP Details: Contact Ashleigh Kent, akent@terrasmart.com
For nearly ten years, TerraSmart's operational hubs have served as a strategic anchor for supporting its "true" turnkey construction services. All of TerraSmart's products and proprietary installation machines will be on display during the event. Specifically highlighted will be TerraSmart's latest fixed-tilt racking system, GLIDE, as well as the industry's first ground screw-based tracker, TerraTrak, both designed to handle undulating terrain and arduous soils.

About TerraSmart:
For 10 years, TerraSmart has been a front-runner in the solar industry by continuously evolving its turnkey business model to build over 3 GW's of ground mounted, utility-scale solar projects across the United States. Widely known for its innovative ground screw-based racking system, TerraSmart has transformed the solar industry by making tough, arduous soils containing rock and hilly terrain, buildable sites for clean energy production.

For more information, visit terrasmart.com. For more information on TerraSmart's single-axis tracker, visit terratrak.com.