By Wes Pauly | Dell Technologies is expanding factory capacity at its Franklin, Massachusetts, campus to manufacture, integrate, test, and ship thousands of high-end AI servers per week. Energy efficiency is critical to the campus as it scales to meet market demand. To offset the electricity usage associated with expansion, Dell sought an on-site solar solution.

To provide renewable energy for Dell’s accelerating power consumption needs, Dell elected to install both canopy and ground-mount systems. Dell is now benefiting from a surface lot canopy with 1.60 MWdc capacity, and a ground mount system with 0.87 MW capacity.

Surface lot canopies maximize land usage and provide additional benefits beyond energy generation, such as shade for vehicles and stormwater protection. The ground mount project utilized a GLIDE Wave fixed tilt racking system, which is engineered to follow the existing terrain of a project site, with continuous rows and pre-assembled components that make installation easier and faster. Speed of installation proved even more valuable amidst project challenges.

Challenges and solutions

Transitions and timeline shifts: Long development timelines are common in complex commercial projects. Once the solar canopy provider was on board, the team began its design and engineering (D&E) work. Throughout this process, the solar canopy provider welcomed and accommodated customer changes and new requests. Strong collaboration, flexibility, and refinement of design by the canopy provider’s engineering team and Dell ensured the project penciled and could move forward.

Once design and engineering were complete, stakeholder teams moved into kickoff mode, only to be stalled again by an EPC business disruption. Despite the setback, the solar racking team worked closely with Dell, Honeywell, and a newly appointed EPC to reestablish momentum and accelerate fabrication to meet Dell’s original completion target, even with the condensed timeframe.

Construction site conditions: Installation began in late summer 2025, but crews encountered numerous underground obstacles during pier drilling, not identified in prior surveys. Even the most careful surveys are prone to subsurface risks and surprises that linger below the surface, and once construction began, it became clear that the catch basin was too close to the foundation.

The canopy engineering team solved this challenge by redesigning the foundation placements within mere hours. Adjustments were made in real time so construction could stay on track. The team shifted the entire canopy to avoid the catch basin pipe without delaying the project schedule.

Specifically, as soon as the issue was clear, the project manager called the designer for updated drawings. Within 15 minutes, the designer checked elevations and ensured moving the canopy would not cause any issues. Within an hour, the team shared the new drawings with the rest of the stakeholders for approval, and restarted construction that very afternoon. All in all, nine foundations, consisting of drilled piers 36 inches in diameter and at a depth of 15 feet, were relocated without timeframe disruption. 

Why it worked

The canopy engineering team’s in-house capabilities and open communication between D&E, project management, construction crews, and customers allowed for an immediate response and same-day solution. The project manager worked directly with the engineer so they could adjust quickly.

Partners without this flexibility would be dependent on a third-party engineer or architect to review and produce updated drawings, a process that typically takes seven days. That additional step, plus the time required to restart construction and move the foundations, could lead to delays lasting weeks. The canopy engineering team’s fast iteration kept installation on schedule, preventing escalating costs and staying within a tight construction window ahead of Massachusetts’ often frigid winters.

Mid-project pivot

Subsurface surprises weren’t the only mid-project change. During fabrication, Dell requested snow guards for the canopy structures. This was a wise decision, but not in the original purchase order. The canopy engineering team had a retrofit snow guard design ready to go, anticipating potential design pivots, and enabling them to react swiftly.

From there, the canopy engineering team moved to create updated drawings for fabrication. Their fabricator pre-drilled the beams instead of having to drill on site during installation, saving construction time and budget. The snow guards are prepared for a snow load of 35 lbs per square foot, and once again, the change was made without disrupting fabrication or construction timelines.

Simultaneous delivery of integrated solutions

Dell’s solution was unique in that the solar racking team delivered two solar system types simultaneously. The solar canopy system for parking coverage and the fixed-tilt ground mount system were managed by two different divisions at the solar racking company. This required close collaboration and project alignment, with the in-house project manager overseeing two different subcontractors in parallel to ensure seamless installation. Together, the teams delivered a cohesive energy solution that fit the custom spaces and energy needs of Dell’s data center campus.

Outcomes

Despite multiple disruptions, including EPC changes, unexpected underground obstructions, and design changes, the project was:

• Completed on schedule.
• Compliant with prevailing wage and domestic content requirements.
• Time efficient due to the solar racking team’s agile and nimble internal processes (no project shutdown due to construction or design changes).
• Delivered within the required 2025 construction window.
• Successfully deployed for Dell’s next-generation data center infrastructure.

The installation helps support the energy needs of Dell’s rapidly expanding AI server manufacturing operations while advancing the company’s clean energy goals.

Wes Pauly, technical sales lead for canopy at Terrasmart. 

Tags: carport/canopy, data centers, solar canopy, solar parking canopies, Terrasmart