This is Part 3 of a 6 part series recorded live at RE+ Boston with the team at CPS.
In high-labor markets like New York and the Northeast, field construction costs eat into solar project margins. Brian Baxter, Director of Sales for the East at CPS America, and Andrey Malyshev, Applications Engineer, join Tim Montague at RE+ Northeast in Boston to explain how skidded string is changing the way community solar projects get built. This episode covers what skidded string is, why it reduces field labor and construction timelines, and which developers benefit most from it.

Brian Baxter has been with CPS America for seven years and oversees sales across the eastern US. Andrey Malyshev is a product applications engineer who works on project design and deployment efficiency. Both specialize in helping developers optimize installation approaches for commercial and community solar.

Episode Highlights
Skidded string displaces field labor with factory labor. Inverters arrive pre-mounted and partially pre-wired on a skid alongside the transformer, so crews spend less time stick-building in the field.

Andrey explains that the same crane lifting the transformer can mount the extended skid in the same go, reducing separate installation steps.

Brian notes that factory testing happens before the skid ships, adding a layer of quality control that field installation does not always provide.

Lead times for a full skidded string solution with transformer, switchboard, and integrated inverters run about 35 weeks from PO to delivery.

Large customers favor skidded string because it standardizes their five-megawatt blocks. They order one package, know what they are getting each time, and move on to the next site.

This episode is for community solar developers, EPCs, and installers working in high-labor markets who want to reduce field construction time and cost. If you are planning ground mount projects in the Northeast or other high-cost regions, skidded string is worth evaluating.

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The Clean Power Hour is brought to you by CPS America, maker of North America’s number one 3-phase string inverter, with over 10GW shipped in the US. With a focus on commercial and utility-scale solar and energy storage, the company partners with customers to provide unparalleled performance and service. The CPS America product lineup includes 3-phase string inverters from 25kW to 350kW, exceptional data communication and controls, and energy storage solutions designed for seamless integration with CPS America systems. CPS America has offices in California, New Jersey, and Texas. Learn more at https://www.chintpowersystems.com/