North Carolina State University engineering students create mowing equipment prototype
Cypress Creek recently sponsored the mechanical engineering senior design project for 30 graduating engineering students from North Carolina State University. We asked the students to develop a safe and efficient solution to mowing underneath solar modules and racking.
Vegetation management is an important component to O&M Services. Vegetation, if not properly maintained, can interfere with solar energy production by shading modules and creating other hazards. Continuous improvement in our Vegetation Management program is critical as the fleet we manage on behalf of Cypress Creek and our customers grows past 3.7GW, and with it, hundreds more acres of property to maintain.
After a year of hard work with our Director of Vegetation Management, Bobby Eiseman, and Performance Engineer, Chris Downs (NCSU, Chemical Engineering, 2019), six teams of students fully designed and developed full prototypes which they presented at their senior design day. After all presentations, we were able to choose our top three designs. The finalists were Team 4 with an innovative claw shaped rotating mowing head, the Panel Pruners with a pivoting flail mower, and the Lawn Rangers. The first-place prize went to the Lawn Rangers team, pictured above, for creating the prototype that best adhered to all criteria while also taking feedback from our vegetation maintenance team into account.
We are proud of our local universities and were very excited to be able to support innovation and foster a continued relationship with NCSU. Learn more about Cypress Creek O&M Services.
Cypress Creek Renewables
Cypress Creek Renewables is powering a sustainable future, one project at a time. We develop, finance, own and operate utility-scale and distributed facilities across the country. With 11 gigawatts of solar developed and more than 3.7 gigawatts under management, Cypress Creek is one of the country’s leading solar and storage companies. For more information about Cypress Creek, please visit cypresscreekenergy.com.
About Cypress Creek Energy
Cypress Creek Energy is a U.S. independent power producer and developer of energy infrastructure designed to meet the nation’s rapidly growing demand for reliable, cost-effective, and sustainable electricity. Built on more than a decade of experience developing, financing, owning, and operating energy assets, the company delivers integrated solar, storage, and firm capacity solutions that serve utilities, communities, and large-load customers.
Cypress Creek believes energy infrastructure should create lasting value beyond generating affordable, sustainable electricity. Through responsible development, long-term ownership, and meaningful community partnerships, the company is committed to strengthening the places where it lives, works, and builds. Since inception, Cypress Creek has commercialized 19 GW of projects and today has more than 6.8 GW of assets operating or under construction, along with a 19 GW development pipeline. Through Cypress Creek Solutions, its in-house operations and maintenance platform, their experienced team manages more than 8.6 GW of energy assets for both Cypress Creek and third-party owners across 24 states.