Lean Approach to Production Planning for Large Solar Photovoltaic Installations

Solar photovoltaic (PV) construction projects are expanding and have complex technical requirements coupled with narrow financial margins. Limited research has examined large-scale PV production planning and techniques to capitalize on repetitive activities, prefabrication opportunities, and the high variability of regional factors affecting construction processes. This research examines large scale PV projects to identify factors affecting key planning decisions and methods to support production planning on large scale PV project. Lean construction concepts and instruments are applied to inform an examination of production planning on multiple PV construction case studies. Lessons on these cases are used to inform a deep case study and production experimentation to produce experience and short interval production (SIPS) data. A tool developed to support PV production planning is presented including use of 4D simulation to enhance communication of planning decisions. The results of this research indicate key planning variables impacting design and prefabrication decisions on PV projects and help elevate the needs and opportunities to apply detailed construction planning methods to large scale and highly repetitive PV projects analysis techniques to help inform key planning decisions.