September, 2025
Camp JORI’s ground mount solar array in Wakefield, RI is nearly complete. After several years wanting to go solar, the non-profit was able to pull together the necessary funding. Through a variety of grants from state agencies and other sources, including Commerce RI and the RI Infrastructure Bank, nearly the full cost of the project is covered by grants. This 140kW solar array will provide nearly all of the camps annual power usage through net metering.
Once the necessary approvals from funding sources, Rhode Island Energy, and the town of Wakefield were secured, our team got into motion.
The first steps are to clear the ground of any brush, level as needed, and get our footings in place. In this case, we used concrete ballast blocks as our footings. Ballast blocks can be placed above grade, or slightly buried. This technique is particularly useful in locations that have a lot of rocks below the surface, or a high water table. Both of these issues are common in Rhode Island. The footings mitigate this issue by minimizing the amount of subsurface work required. Ballast footings also work well on parking lots, because they can be moved if that space is needed for another purpose in the future.
Measurements for the block placement are highly precise. Each block needs to be properly level so that the vertical posts will fit the racking. It is critical to get the spacing right to meet the requirements the structural engineer has calculated for wind uplift and other loads.
After the footings are in place, the racking goes up very quickly. Each vertical post will be bolted to a concrete block, and then the railings are attached to the posts. With the racking up, our next step is panel placement. The solar panels will be clamped onto the racking, but will not be wired until a later point.
At this point, the array might look finished, but there’s still a ton of electrical work to be done. While the structural work is being done to build the array, we need to dig a trench to run all of our wiring, and lay out all of our conduit. The electrical conduit needs to be inspected by the city electrical inspector before the trench can be backfilled. Reflective tape is placed in the soil above the conduit to alert anyone digging, before sealing up the ground.
The major component not mentioned up to this point is the solar inverter. These units turn the direct current power produced by solar panels into grid rated alternating current power. There are a few different ways for these to be installed.
One option is to put a concrete pad near the array, with all of the inverters located on the pad. Another option is to hang the inverters on the array, like we have done on Camp JORI’s array here.
With the inverters in place, our electricians wire all of the panels into strings that match the voltage specifications of the inverter manufacturer. Those strings are plugged into the inverters on the DC side. The AC wires are then pulled through the underground conduit to their destination at the combiner panel.
To see other finished projects and case studies, take a look on our portfolio and blog pages. US SolarWorks builds custom, high-quality solar arrays, designed to be integrated into our customer’s sites.
If you’re interested in solar power for your site, connect with us here for a free consultation.
The conduit will connect to the end of each array, collecting the AC wires coming off of each array, and bringing them all to a central combiner panel.
This is a behind-the-meter system, meaning the power will be used on site. Power coming from the array will flow through the combiner panel, into the main service panel for the site. (As opposed to front-of-the-meter, which would direct the power straight out to the grid.)
With most of the electrical work complete, a few steps remain before Camp JORI can start producing power.
The utility company will need to install a new meter, and make any changes to the grid side of the interconnection point. US SolarWorks will place a fence around the array, to prevent any of the children at the camp from wandering onto the site and touching electrical equipment. From there, we will need a town inspector to come out to the site again to ensure everything is built as required for the construction permits.
The final item will be a letter granting approval to interconnect from Rhode Island Energy, which will allow Camp JORI to start generating power, knocking out their electric bill, and generating incentive income.
