Overseeing Construction of One of the Largest Solar Energy Projects in the US

In northeast Texas, Invenergy is building one of the largest solar photovoltaic energy generation projects in the country, capable of powering up to 300,000 homes. We are serving as owner’s engineer for the five-phase Samson Solar Energy Center portfolio, which includes overseeing construction, reviewing design calculations and design details, and working with the Invenergy teams to find inefficiencies and identify potential design improvements. 

With 1.31 gigawatts of power capacity — more capacity than a standard nuclear energy reactor — the Samson Solar Energy Center supports sustainability goals for major consumer brands and supplies power to Texas municipalities.

This portfolio builds upon our long relationship with Invenergy, which includes more than a dozen of projects across the United States, from solar PV to environmental services to traditional power generation to strategic communications.

A Focus on Solar Project Effectiveness 

As owner’s engineer for a solar PV site, our teams works with an eye toward quality and cost effectiveness throughout the project life. 

• Structural supports are one of the most important aspects to consider in any power generation project. This portfolio called for thousands of H-piles, a common pile choice for better weight distribution and to accommodate the large format solar panels. Our structural team reviewed pile designs to verify the contractors followed Invenergy’s structural specifications, including corrosion estimation, galvanization and adequate load support, all while remaining cost effective due to the large economy of scale on projects of this size. 
• Although this region of Texas is mostly flat, grading was completed in certain areas to provide better layouts for trackers that hold up the solar panels. Our civil teams reviewed plans to minimize earthwork, saving money and reducing impact on the surrounding environment. Native hardy plants and grasses were planted under solar panels to mimic natural vegetation and support soil health.