Trackers

In a new whitepaper, FTC solar looks to tackle the damage potential of dynamic and static wind loads on single axis trackers using a novel hardware approach and a zero-degree stow angle.

Also on the rise: Powin Energy signed a supply agreement with Borrego for 800MWh of Powin’s Stack750 storage solution. Rigid trackers may be best for large-format modules. Koch subsidiary DEPCOM expands portfolio to 650MWh. Over the next two years utility-scale solar and battery energy storage will combine for 60% of the capacity added to the grid. NASA’s 1.5 billion-mile Psyche asteroid mission will be solar-powered. IREC and partners announce on-line training courses for residential plan review and permitting.

Arctech Solar released a new white paper outlining the opportunities presented by stowing modules at a zero-degree angle in high-wind scenarios, a solution made possible by the advent of rigid trackers.

The technology promises lower LCOE, drastic reductions in project costs, and reduced shipping costs, yet availability issues and the variance in form factors have contributed to limited field usage thus far.

Also on the rise: Equitable access to solar is part of DOE-backed plan. One to six million metric tons of lithium may lie beneath the Salton Sea. Adopting standards for EVs will accelerate the path for these vehicles. Solar tracker manufacturers can expect a boom in the US through 2025. Heliogen plans concentrated solar power manufacturing facility. IBM, ABB, and Worley team up to help energy companies build and operate green hydrogen facilities.

Data company IHS Markit expects almost nine out of ten big solar projects in the Americas over the next three years to be tracker mounted. More than a terrawatt of new solar will be added from this year to the end of 2025, the analyst predicted.

pv magazine sat down with Terrasmart President, Ed McKiernan to discuss the implications of the integration, ideas behind the new identity, and his company’s vision of their role in the US’ transition to renewable energy.

Also on the rise: Rondo Energy receives funding to turn solar and wind into thermal energy. Inverter patent infringement settlement. Jackery solar generator for off-grid RVs and camping. Dual-axis trackers in Midwest solar installation.

The solar installation will use 515 of Mechatron Solar’s M18KD gearless dual-axis trackers manufactured at its Stockton, California facility. 

LBNL researchers have found that since 2011, utility-scale solar facilities have increased panel density by 43-52%, and electricity generation 25-33%, for single axis tracking and fixed racking systems, respectively.