Overview

Synapse Electric is an electrical and solar PV design build firm serving the California marketplace for the last ten years. A woman-owned Certified Small Business Enterprise (SBE), Synapse employs a team of California state-certified electricians to deploy PV solar and perform other electrical projects. For this project, Synapse selected EcoFoot2™ racking because the Ecolibrium team was able to offer a fully-ballasted system that enhanced both customer satisfaction and Synapse’s margins.

Goals

The installation site is a firehouse within view of the ocean in the San Francisco Bay area. The site was challenged with the toughest occupancy class and exposure category along with high seismic forces. Synapse assumed a fully-attached racking solution was the only option and was poised to move forward on that basis.

Ecolibrium Solar offered the fully-ballasted EcoFoot2™ solution that met seismic codes with zero penetrations. The low cost of the racking combined with ultra-fast installation speed, and the savings of avoiding expensive penetrations, made the project a real winner for Synapse. Of course, the Fire Department loved the fact that their new roof could be covered with solar without requiring penetrations.

Results

Synapse’s first experience with the EcoFoot2™ was easier than they expected. The simple, intuitive design allowed them to be productive from the start and complete the job in record time.

Paul Brunner, President of Synapse, stated, “My installers, with many years and many methods, found the installation was by far superior to any other type of installation we have done in the past. There is nothing we would change and we were overwhelmingly pleased with the product.”

The versatility and simple design of EcoFoot2™ combined with the design skill and responsiveness of the Ecolibrium design support team allowed Synapse to save significant cost and time while increasing their customer’s satisfaction.

Paul Brunner added, “By far, your system is the best ballasted system we have ever used—period. Thanks for the superb service too!”