When building solar parks, every cent counts. To ensure that strong cost pressure does not compromise quality, new solutions are needed. They optimise installation while also protecting solar modules and soil.
Falling prices on the electricity exchanges and fierce competition in tenders are increasing the pressure on developers and builders of large solar parks. This is because low electricity prices on the exchange put pressure on the prices that can be achieved in direct electricity supply contracts (power purchase agreements – PPAs). In the scramble for market premiums in tenders, only those projects that can score points with low electricity prices are successful.
This means that the costs for solar parks must be reduced. There are two main ways to achieve this. On the one hand, park developers can save on materials. On the other hand, they can also make the construction of the plants more efficient. This reduces construction times and thus the costs of building the park without compromising the stability of the entire plant. “Because less material increases the risk that the plant will not be able to withstand the increasingly frequent severe weather events,” warns Marco Göbel, managing director of MKG Göbel.
Efficiency is paramount
He has the advantage of knowing both sides of the business. MKG Göbel not only develops and manufactures mounting systems, but also installs the systems itself on request. This means he knows what efficient installation means. “The quality of the installation is at the top of our list of priorities. But right behind that comes the efficiency of the assembly,” explains Marco Göbel. “Many suppliers of substructures for outdoor use expect the systems to be in operation for 20 years. In reality, however, the systems last 30 years or more.”
This should also be clear to investors and financing banks. After all, long-lasting quality costs more in terms of materials. Price pressure tempts many companies to offer cheaper prices, which then comes back to haunt them when the first damage to the substructure occurs due to weather conditions. That is why MKG Göbel has built up a quality management system over many years.
Working with their own site managers
In recent years, the company has provided extensive training to the installers who erect the systems. “In addition, one of our site managers and a quality team are present at every construction site to ensure that the construction work is carried out correctly,” says Marco Göbel. “This interface is important for us, as our site managers have a better overview of quality and know the system better than the contracted installation companies.”
The site manager communicates with the project manager to ensure that the plant is constructed as planned. “Of course, this costs money at first glance, but it prevents 30,000 modules from being installed incorrectly or the wrong components from being used,” says Marco Göbel, explaining the approach. The company currently employs eleven site managers, all of whom work in parallel.
Optimised processes
However, employing its own site manager has another advantage that ultimately saves money while still ensuring high quality. “This enables us to bring new technologies to the field more quickly and to optimise processes,” says the MKG boss. Over the years, a system has been developed that enables MKG Göbel to build solar parks as if on an assembly line – while even protecting the soil.
This is because the materials for the substructure and the modules are usually distributed on site with a wheel loader to the locations where they will later be installed. This not only involves a huge logistical effort, but also carries the risk of construction delays due to heavy rainfall.
Assembly from the sideline
That’s why MKG Göbel organised the assembly so that it could be done from the edge of the field. The first step was to assemble the long beams, which are attached to the posts. To concentrate the assembly in one place, MKG Göbel fitted these posts with temporary rollers on the top. This allows the workers at the edge of the field to place the individual segments of the long beams on the rollers and fasten them together. They then simply push the fastened long beams further into the field on the rollers and fasten the next long beam at the edge of the field.
This approach gave rise to the ASSEMBLY 2.0 method, which MKG Göbel developed for its GMS MAX mounting system. The basis is a mobile assembly platform. It is set up on the road at the edge of the area where the system is being built. This assembly platform has space for three boxes full of modules. Opposite the assembly platform, the module carriers are stored, to which the solar panels will later be attached.
Screw the clamp from both sides
Once all the installation posts have been driven into the ground and the long beams have been attached to them, module installation can begin. To do this, an installer first places two module supports on the long beams at a distance of one module width apart. Two other installers slide three modules upright between these supports. Since the panels are stored within easy reach on the installation platform, handling distances are very short.
Once the modules are positioned between the two supports, they are secured with module clamps. It is advantageous that the clamps of the current GMS Scale system from MKG Göbel can be screwed in place from both below and above. “This allows the installer to screw the modules onto the low side of the table from above, while a second technician tightens the clamps on the high side of the table from below,” says Marco Göbel, explaining the decisive advantage.
Pushing module tables across the space
If the screws were only tightened from below, an installer would always have to crawl under the module table to attach the panels. However, this is unreasonable and inefficient over an entire working day. If the clamps are only tightened from above, there is also a risk that installers will have to stand on the modules to reach the screws. Once everything has been screwed and fastened, the technicians simply slide the finished part of the system onto the longitudinal beam and into the field. This is because the module supports are mounted on rollers. In the next step, the first technician places a new module support on the longitudinal beams, spaced at a distance of one module width. The two technicians then slide the modules back onto the assembly platform and screw them in place with the clamps. In the meantime, a fourth employee wires the modules and secures the cables to the substructure so that they are not damaged during operation of the system.
The finished system section is then pushed on again. This procedure is repeated until a complete module table is ready. This is then pushed on rollers over the long beams into the field to its final position. This is possible because MKG Göbel has designed the system so that the rollers run smoothly and even a complete module table, approximately 30 metres long and weighing up to three tonnes, glides gently over the long beams.
Creating short distances
Over longer distances, the module tables are moved using a small, motor-driven dumper with chain drive. The dumper is removed again at the end position and taken to the assembly site. To ensure that the module tables can be pushed through to the end of the field, the fitters temporarily install bridges over the thermal breaks in the longitudinal beams.
But the assembly platform itself is also optimised for fast and precise assembly. “It is important for us that the handling steps are short. This is because the large modules are heavy, and the shorter the distances, the faster the assembly and the more carefully the modules are handled,” explains Marco Göbel. That is why the platform is equipped with a conveyor belt on which the boxes containing the modules are placed. Once the first box is empty, it is lifted off the platform and the conveyor belt moves the second box forward. At the same time, a driver with a wheel loader can place the next box of modules on the platform from behind. This works smoothly because there is space for three boxes on the platform.
Protecting the ground
Another advantage is the soil-friendly installation. In more and more states, project developers have to implement ground protection concepts. This means that they are no longer allowed to drive heavy machinery indiscriminately over open fields, compacting or disturbing the ground. WWith Assembly 2.0, the turf remains intact,” emphasises Marco Göbel. “The pile driving work is usually unproblematic because the pile drivers run on rubberised tracks and only have to be driven once. However, the heavy wheel loaders with their normal tyres, combined with the very high frequency with which the routes have to be driven, can cause a lot of damage to the ground.” In addition to protecting the environment, the soil-conserving installation also reduces the cost of subsequent maintenance of the area.
650 megawatts built in ten months
This makes MKG Göbel less dependent on weather conditions during installation. Since vehicles no longer have to drive on unpaved ground, they cannot sink into it even when it rains. In addition, construction requires fewer personnel and is faster than with conventional technologies. This was the only way to realise the huge Witznitz solar park. On a former lignite mining site south of Leipzig, installers used the MKG Göbel system to install over 1.1 million solar modules. The plant, with a capacity of an impressive 650 megawatts, was built in just ten months – including the installation of the substructure and DC cabling.
This article was published in PV Magazine on 12 December 2025 (issue 10/2025)
Author: Sven Ullrich, photo: MKG GÖBEL
Published with the kind permission of the editor