Techduto Solution

Solar Plants

DC cable protection, platform drainage, and road base — the plant's buried infrastructure, from a single supplier

The Challenge

Photovoltaic parks require three critical underground infrastructures operating in parallel: mechanical protection of buried DC and MV cables, fast platform drainage and tracker foundation stabilization. When any one fails, operations stop — and every hour of downtime in a 100 MW solar farm costs between R$ 8,000 and R$ 15,000 in lost revenue.

Techduto has been supplying the complete HDPE infrastructure for the sector for over a decade, with technical participation in drafting ABNT NBR 15715 and involvement in more than 260 solar farms in Brazil.

Techduto Solutions for Solar Plants

Recommended lines, uses, and key features

Product Line	Use in Solar Plants	Technical Advantage
Techduto DW (double wall)	Main trunk for DC and MV cables in buried trenches	Smooth interior → 30% faster cable laying; corrugated outer wall SN 8
Techduto NBR (UV line)	Sections exposed to sun: tracker, string box, solar roof	Exclusive anti-UV additive; compliant with ABNT NBR 15715; 25+ years lifespan
Techduto NBR (AC line)	Sections near inverter, transformer, electrical room	Flame retardant additive (self-extinguishing); reduces installation thermal risk
Techdreno DW	Underground drainage for platforms, accesses, and channels	30% higher flow rate than traditional corrugated; frees tables in hours after rain
Geotêxtil Bidim	Separation, filtration, and protection of tracker foundations	Distributes load and separates layers — proven 25+ years in BR projects
Techduto Tape	Sealing connections between conduits and accessories	Permanent adhesion — watertightness against water and insects

260+

solar farms served in Brazil

25+

years service life of HDPE NBR 15715 conduits

5M+

meters of Techduto conduits installed

750N

impact resistance (NBR line)

Challenges & Solutions

How Techduto solves each challenge in Solar Plants

DC/MV cables vulnerable to impact

Techduto DW double-wall conduit absorbs excavation impacts, root pressure and backfill loads, protecting solar cables for the entire project lifetime.

Flooded platforms halt trackers

Techdreno DW removes soil water from the table in hours, preventing tracker bogging, foundation erosion and generation loss.

UV exposure on aerial sections

Techduto NBR UV-additive line maintains mechanical integrity even on sun-exposed sections — string box, tracker, rooftop.

Invasive corrective maintenance

Smooth interior of Techduto DW allows cable replacement without digging a new trench — reduces maintenance time by up to 80%.

How We Apply

Techduto 3-step methodology

Engineering & Specification

Solar project analysis (power, table layout, tracker type, topography) defines cable cross-sections, trench depth, diameters and additive line (UV/AC) per section.

Logistics & Ready Stock

Production in SP, PE and MT with ready stock for delivery across Brazil. Rolls up to 300 m reduce field joints and speed installation.

Field Support

Techduto engineers accompany installation at large-scale solar farms: connection sealing with Techduto Tape, platform drainage with Techdreno DW and reinforcement with Bidim.

Where Techduto works on your solar plant

Click each point. See the real-world application of Techduto products in a large-scale photovoltaic plant.

Vista geral com pontos de atuação Techduto

Where the cable goes underground, it needs protection

Several DC circuits converge into reinforced ducting

Crossing the access road without compromising the cable

In clay soil or a high water table, water won’t drain on its own

The access road needs a structured base too

A joint without proper sealing is an open door for moisture

A bifacial row yields more with the right ground beneath it

DC TrenchCable Protection

DC TrunkMultiple Circuits

Road CrossingUnder the Access Road

Platform DrainageCritical Soils

Access Road BaseLayer Separation

Joint SealingSleeve + Sealing Rings

Reflective Ground CoverBifacial Panels

⟵ DESLIZE ⟶

Pontos de aplicação

Where the cable goes underground, it needs protection — Along the row itself, DC cabling typically runs clipped to the tracker structure, above ground. But at the drop points toward the string box and the collection run, it has to go underground — and cable buried directly in soil, unprotected, degrades from moisture and from the movement of O&M work itself. Techduto NBR protects the DC cabling in these buried stretches, from the string box to the collection run.
Several DC circuits converge into reinforced ducting — DC circuits from several rows physically converge in the same trench on the way to the combiner box — each in its own conduit, never sharing a duct (NBR 5410 prohibits mixing DC and AC/MV circuits in the same conduit). Techduto DW (double wall) delivers the mechanical strength this higher-density conduit run demands.
Crossing the access road without compromising the cable — Every machine and truck pass over the trench is a crushing risk for the cable buried below. Techduto DW in its reinforced class (750N) withstands access road traffic without compromising electrical protection.
In clay soil or a high water table, water won’t drain on its own — Across most of the plant, stormwater management is surface-level only — grading and vegetative cover are enough. But in localized stretches of clay soil or high water table, standing water under the trackers hinders O&M access and accelerates corrosion. In those specific spots, Techdreno DW drains the platform and carries the water out of the generation area.
The access road needs a structured base too — Internal O&M roads take repeated heavy traffic — without layer separation, the aggregate mixes into the subgrade and the road settles over time. Bidim geotextile separates the crushed-stone layer from the native soil, reduces the amount of aggregate needed during construction, and keeps the road stable through years of operation.
A joint without proper sealing is an open door for moisture — Watertightness at the joint between conduit segments comes from the coupling sleeve with sealing ring (O-ring) — the correct mechanical jointing method for the Techduto NBR line. At critical points, DutoSeal Tape reinforces the external protection against moisture and abrasion.
A bifacial row yields more with the right ground beneath it — A bifacial panel generates power from both sides — but only if the ground beneath it helps. A reflective fabric between rows raises the ground albedo, boosting panel output, while also controlling erosion and vegetation in the same space where Techduto products already protect cables and drain the platform. Our consultants guide the specification together with the conduit and drainage system.

FAQ

Common questions about Solar Plants

Which corrugated conduit is recommended for solar farms? +

For photovoltaic parks in Brazil, the recommended conduit is corrugated HDPE per ABNT NBR 15715. Techduto supplies the Techduto NBR line with UV additive for exposed sections and AC additive (flame-retardant) for sections near inverters. For DC/MV cable main trunks, double-wall Techduto DW offers superior mechanical strength.

Does Techduto conduit meet NBR 15715? +

Yes. The Techduto NBR line is certified per ABNT NBR 15715:2020. Techduto participated in the technical drafting of this standard and maintains continuous compliance testing.

What is the service life of a buried HDPE conduit in a solar farm? +

Correctly installed virgin HDPE conduits have a service life of over 25 years buried — matching or exceeding the typical operating life of a solar farm. HDPE is immune to corrosion, roots and acidic soils.

How to drain the platform of a solar farm? +

Solar platform drainage uses perforated HDPE pipes (Techdreno DW) installed in trenches parallel to the solar tables, at 80 cm to 1.5 m depth. The system removes subsurface water in hours after rain, preventing tracker bogging and foundation erosion.

What conduit diameter to use for tracker cables? +

For tracker cables (typical 4–16 mm²), the most common sizes are DN50 and DN75 of the Techduto NBR UV line. For DC main trunks with larger cross-sections, DW DN110 or DN160 work well.

Does Techduto serve solar farms across Brazil? +

Yes. Techduto operates three production units — São Paulo, Pernambuco and Mato Grosso — with ready stock for delivery nationwide. Over 260 solar farms have been served with conduits, pipes, geotextile and accessories.

Why Techduto and not a reseller: since 1986, when it built Brazil's first corrugating machine by hand, Techduto has designed and manufactured its own line of corrugated pipes — it doesn't resell, it produces. Today, with factories in São José dos Campos (SP), Recife (PE) and Primavera do Leste (MT), the engineering behind Techdreno and Drainage Geocomposite is entirely its own. See our full history →