We Use High-strength Steel With Lesser Thickness and With Very Minimum Connections Which Provides a Stronger and Stable Structure and Also Saves Steel Weight: Piyush Nahar, General Manager – LYSAGHT® Business, Tata BlueScope Steel

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In an exciting interview with SolarQuarter, Piyush Nahar, General Manager – LYSAGHT® Business, Tata BlueScope Steel spoke about the ILIOS® mounting solutions and their key benefits. He also spoke about how engineering design plays an important role in solar module mounting structures and talked about their operational capabilities as well.

Please give us a brief introduction to your ILIOS® mounting solutions.

Premium solar module mounting solutions from ILIOS® by Tata BlueScope Steel, are available for ground- and roof-top applications. These custom solar mounting systems are made from Zn-Al coated cold-rolled steel or Zn coated steel. These systems are easy to install and offer greater corrosion resistance and weight optimization. ILIOS®, a complete solution for solar module mounting, offers engineering support, design detail, installation, and material supply. Our multi-locational manufacturing facilities ensure on-time project delivery.

Kindly provide the key benefits of your ground and roof mounting solutions.

ILIOS® offers C and Hat sections to be used in ground-mounted applications. These structures of high strength are made from cold-rolled Zn/ Al-Zn alloy coated steel. They are available in different coating thicknesses and dimensions to meet project requirements.

The key benefits of ILIOS® ground mounting solutions are:

• The overall project cost is reduced due to weight optimization
• Pre-Punched Sections ensure faster project delivery
• Zn-Al alloy coated steel provides better corrosion resistance and longer durability
• High Strength Steel allows strikethrough greater load capacity and longer spans
• Lightweight Sections make it easy to transport, install and handle.

LYSAGHT® profiles are compatible with ILIOS® Roof-Top Solar Mounting Solutions. In order to suit LYSAGHT® profiles, special clips are indigenously designed and developed. These clips have safe design factors and are tested for wind uplift. Solar panels are directly mounted on LYSAGHT® profiles using these clips.

The key benefits of LYSAGHT® rooftop mounting solutions are:

• Smart Solution enabling Green Building Construction
• Quick and reliable installation
• A Fully Integrated Solution

How does engineering design play an important role in solar module mounting structure?

The first and foremost requirement is to ensure structural stability considering the high wind speeds. For this, we use high-strength steel with lesser thickness and with very minimum connections which provides a stronger and stable structure and also saves steel weight. It is also important to derive the layout of solar panels to understand the number of rows and columns. Parameters like Slope, ground clearance, and orientation of the panels whether landscape or portrait are some of the critical factors that play an important role in arriving at the optimum design.

The second most important factor is Durability which is the life of the structure that is completely exposed to the atmosphere. To ensure durability, we use Cold-formed purlins made of ZINCALUME® Steel which has 4 times longer life than the regular galvanized structures in the most corrosive environments. Along with this, proper selection of fasteners is also important, and we recommend stainless steel fasteners to resist the severe corrosive environment.

Combining the above two, we need to achieve the most optimum and competitive solutions as the tariff per unit keeps going down.

What are your operational capabilities? 

Tata BlueScope Steel with its multi-locational manufacturing facilities strategically located in Chennai, Pune, Bhiwadi, and Jamshedpur ensures easy product availability and on-time delivery with consistency in the quality of products supplied. Our product (ILIOS®) DNA has all the cut/slit and punched edges coated with Zn-Al rich protective coating to avoid exposed surfaces. This further leads to increased life of the mounting structure. 

Our plants follow strict QAP approved by all major EPC Contractors & Developers. Individual members are closely operated and inspected for dimensional accuracy. Our machines are well maintained and automated for a smoother finish, sturdier and more accurate profile, and defect prevention. Operating teams are highly skilled and are well trained by the engineering team, not only on operations but on the requirements of end application. Safe transportation and high-quality product packaging; lay a strong foundation for a sound supply chain.