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Economics

Why a tracker specifier chooses Alion

We match the foundation to the site — driven pile and micropile where the ground takes a post, Split Rail where it will not.

Specifier rank

Why the row costs less on ground that was a no

Quote an EPC with a fleet of pile drivers and you will get pile-based solutions. That is only natural — we offer single pile and micropile on the same mechanicals. Split Rail is slipform: the same mix and machines that pour curb. It is not a better pile. It is a different foundation, and it is how the plant meets clay, cobble, water, and rock without a refusal contingency.

  1. 01

    Fewer geotechnical hedges

    Match the foundation to the site. Clay, cobble, rock, and water do not need a pile-refusal or remediation contingency sitting in the bid.

  2. 02

    A combined solution — ~20% less

    Not a cheaper pile. Tracker and foundation as one plant. Versus other trackers on a typical utility-scale pile job, the combined solution comes in ~20% less.

  3. 03

    More modules per drive

    Gearing and a disconnectable driveline rotate 1.3× modules per drive — fewer drives per MW, lower actuation BOM, lower lifetime O&M.

  4. 04

    Steel mass out = permanent cost out

    Low part mass → less steel. Automotive-stamping infrastructure makes the weight advantage structural, not a one-time discount.

  5. 05

    Mostly local concrete

    Roughly 86% of the mix is local sand, aggregate, and water — low DDP burden vs steel pile foundations.

  6. 06

    DOT-class slipform scale

    Same mix and equipment as highway curb-and-gutter — foundation cost scales from proven civil slipform work.

  7. 07

    No parts over 20 kg

    Labor flexibility on site. Less dependence on heavy lift. Every steel part ≤ 44 lb.

  8. 08

    Cleaner end of life

    Decommissioning is easier than digging down to cut or pull driven piles. Recycled ballast can be LEED material and sold as aggregate.

  9. 09

    Lean digitized operations

    Lean operations. More of the spend buys the plant — less of it buys overhead.

Cost index

What the plant costs, by soil — USA example 47 m•s | 105 mph

Split Rail against piles DDP + installed and ground screws. Foundation is split: materials and labor. Tracker and module install held equal. USA example at 47 m•s | 105 mph. Index, not a bid.

Normal ground

  • Tracker materials
  • Foundation materials
  • Foundation labor
  • Tracker + module install
020406080100120140% of a typical pile plant80%100%112%AlionPilesGroundSplit Railscrews

Rocky ground

  • Tracker materials
  • Foundation materials
  • Foundation labor
  • Tracker + module install
020406080100120140% of a typical pile plant80%123%112%AlionPilesGroundSplit Railscrews

Ground screws can win when pile refusal is high (~29%).

Active clay

  • Tracker materials
  • Foundation materials
  • Foundation labor
  • Tracker + module install
020406080100120140% of a typical pile plant80%113%112%AlionPilesGroundSplit Railscrews

Jacking and swell on active clay contingency are not in the pile bar.

DDP + installed

Tracker DDPFoundation Materials DDPFoundation installedTracker + module installationTotal
Alion Split Rail40%10%9%21%80%
Piles54%15%10%21%100%
Ground screws54%22%16%21%112%

Normal ground. Rocky and clay change the foundation slices as plotted. Alion Construction OPC sits in Foundation installed. Every bar is DDP + installed. Not a bid.

USA example, 47 m•s | 105 mph. 100% = typical pile plant. Index, not a bid.

Steel content

Steel mass out is the inflation hedge

StormTracker is a 1P. Gearing and stamped members keep every steel part a two-person lift — 20 t / MWdc of tracker, and no piles. A 1P SAT still buys a pile field and a heavier tracker. A 2P SAT puts more tracker steel on those same piles. Mass you do not ship does not inflate.

  • Tracker steel (Structures + Drive Tube)
  • Pile steel
01020304050t / MWdc20Alion 1P~35–401P SAT~40–452P SAT
Tracker steel (Structures + Drive Tube)Pile steelTotal
Alion 1P20020
1P SAT~23–28~12~35–40
2P SAT~28–33~12~40–45

700 Wp-class. Pile steel ≈ 12 t / MWdc. Tracker band = all-in − piles. Alion has 0 piles. Not a bid.

Material inflation

Defense against material inflation

All-in DDP + installed. Alion starts lower because the package already costs less — not from the same zero. 100 is today’s typical pile foundation or torque-tube tracker. Material inflation moves both. The gap is the defense.

Split Rail concrete mix
98 m³ / MWdc
Driven W8×10 pile
4.5 m embedment
Alion tracker
20 t steel / MWdc
1P torque-tube SAT
~23–28 t steel / MWdc

Foundation — all-in DDP + installed

020406080100120140today+10%+20%+30%+40%Material inflationIndex · 100 = typical today38%100%50%124%Split Rail concrete mixW8×10 · 4.5 m
All-in DDP + installed · 100 = typical today
Material priceSplit Rail concrete mixW8×10 · 4.5 m
today38%100%
+10%41%106%
+20%44%112%
+30%47%118%
+40%50%124%

Tracker — all-in DDP + installed

020406080100120140today+10%+20%+30%+40%Material inflationIndex · 100 = typical today88%100%104%121%Alion · 20 t1P SAT · ~23–28 t
All-in DDP + installed · 100 = typical today
Material priceAlion · 20 t1P SAT · ~23–28 t
today88%100%
+10%92%105%
+20%96%111%
+30%100%116%
+40%104%121%

Split Rail starts well below a driven W8×10. A jump in mix or steel price does not catch the pile up — it still has more steel to inflate.

We ship less tracker steel. When steel prices rise, a 1P SAT moves more than we do. The gap is the hedge.

USA example. 700 Wp-class. Material inflation on all-in DDP + installed. Tracker steel is all-in minus piles. Alion 20 t / MWdc. W8×10 H-pile, 4.5 m. Not a bid.