- Can you highlight how Nextracker’s intelligent solar tracker technology played a crucial role in achieving the 10 GW milestone? What key advantages does this technology bring to promote sustainable energy solutions in these regions?
Nextracker’s intelligent solar tracker technology played a crucial role in achieving the 10 GW milestone by optimizing energy production and reducing costs. Single-axis solar trackers, a key component of Nextracker’s technology, generate up to 30% more energy than fixed-tilt systems, addressing the diverse energy transition needs in the Middle East, Africa, and India. Our solar trackers are known for their robust design, ease of installation, field-proven weather durability, and LCOE-optimized performance.
Nextracker solutions deliver greater flexibility to reliably configure systems on project sites for premium performance and maximize energy output. Furthermore, the technology’s capability to expand the geographic areas where solar is cost-effective promotes the implementation of solar projects in diverse terrains and locations, fostering widespread adoption of solar energy solutions.
To boost energy generation and revenue, our trackers come equipped with unique design features optimized for bifacial modules. In addition, TrueCapture yield optimization software augments annual energy gains using proprietary algorithms for different module technologies, site terrain and diffuse light conditions.
By optimizing energy production and diminishing reliance on traditional power sources, Nextracker’s technology aligns with broader sustainability goals, minimizing the carbon footprint associated with energy generation and contributing to the region’s commitment to environmental responsibility.
2. What opportunities do you foresee for the application of intelligent solar tracker technology in India? How might this technology contribute to enhancing India’s solar energy sector and aligning with the nation’s aspirations for a sustainable and climate-resilient future?
The large-scale adoption of trackers in India symbolizes the maturation of the market. Nextracker’s significant role in deploying over five gigawatts of smart solar tracker systems in India demonstrates the increasing acceptability of solar trackers in the country.
Our field-proven, market-leading PV tracker technology, proprietary software and data analytics offer the industry’s most advanced engineered design and control systems to enhance energy yield and plant performance, streamline efficiencies, mitigate extreme weather and other operational risks and maximize investor returns, whatever the site terrain and weather conditions.
Nextracker has been investing in advancing India’s transition to clean energy since 2013. Today we have over 35 utility scale projects across the country and have executed a massive expansion in our manufacturing capacity to serve this growing demand. Our 10GW manufacturing capacity delivers over 80% of our tracker components aligning with India’s ‘Make In India’ goal. This not only strengthens the domestic solar industry but also supports India’s vision for a sustainable and climate-resilient future.
3. What strategic initiatives has Nextracker implemented to promote the adoption of solar energy in the Middle East and adjacent regions, which have traditionally been associated with fossil fuels? How does this achievement align with the global emphasis on renewable energy, particularly in the context of COP28?
Nextracker has surpassed a key milestone of 10 GW of smart solar trackers either operational or under fulfilment for projects located in the Middle East, Africa, and India. In parallel timing with the United Nations COP28 Climate Change conference held in Dubai last month, this milestone was achieved after securing significant orders in the region.
This is a region marked by a wide range of energy transition needs and opportunities, and we’re proud to have reached this significant landmark. We continue to invest in these markets with sales, engineering, and professional services teams to better serve our customers throughout the entire solar project lifecycle. The company is laser focused on anticipating our customers’ needs and delivering the industry’s most reliable solar tracker and software solutions with unmatched wind design engineering and proven performance.
With these markets representing an opportunity for utility-scale solar growth across the region, Nextracker ramped its domestic content and manufacturing program in the Middle East and India, engaging local partners to provide steel and critical components for its solar trackers across the region.
4. How does Nextracker’s intelligent solar tracker technology demonstrate financial viability, considering the interplay between system yield and capital expenditure?
Nextracker’s intelligent solar tracker technology enhances financial viability by optimizing system yield and reducing capital and operational expenditure. The technology generates up to 30% more energy than fixed-tilt systems, improving solar project profitability. As a leader in the clean energy transition, Nextracker provides critical yield-enhancing expertise and services needed to optimize the value, efficiency, and weather resiliency of solar power plants, offers the lowest system lifetime LCOE, and fully monetizes returns for developers, asset owners and investors.
Nextracker’s intelligent solar tracker technology not only aligns with the region’s ambitious solar energy goals but also demonstrates compelling financial viability through its impact on system yield and capital expenditure. Firstly, the optimization capabilities of Nextracker’s solar trackers play a crucial role in enhancing system yield. By dynamically adjusting the angle of solar panels to track the sun’s movement, these trackers ensure optimum sunlight exposure. This improvement in system yield directly contributes to the financial viability of solar projects, as it maximizes the amount of electricity generated over the project’s lifetime.
With pre-assembled components, no drive linkages, no AC wiring, self-aligning rails, our trackers -available with terrain following upgrades, are fundamentally faster to install, requiring less construction labor, less grading, and less total project capital cost. Projects with NX Horizon enjoy unhindered row access for efficient vegetation management and panel cleaning. Compared with linked row systems, NX Horizon cuts mowing costs by up to 55% and cleaning costs by up to 73%. To boost energy generation and revenue, NX Horizon comes equipped with unique design features optimized for bifacial modules. In addition, TrueCapture yield optimization software is available, delivering annual energy gains using unique algorithms for different module technologies, site terrain and diffuse light conditions.
5. How does the incorporation of TrueCapture enhance the capabilities of Nextracker’s solar tracker technology? Furthermore, could you explain to our readers the specific advantages that Nextracker Tracker with TrueCapture provides in comparison to traditional solar trackers?
TrueCapture is an intelligent yield optimization and control software that leverages Nextracker’s unique independent-row tracker architecture, advanced sensors, and site-specific ‘digital twin’ modeling to increase solar PV plant output by up to 4% annually. Integrated with our solar tracker hardware systems, TrueCapture is fully validated by independent engineering firms, boosting project performance and financial returns on over 280 projects and over 40 GW, across five continents. The software’s intelligent, self-adjusting tracker control and yield optimization system boosts solar power plant production by continuously optimizing the tracking algorithm of each individual row in response to site features and changing weather conditions.
TrueCapture includes multiple algorithms designed to maximize solar plant output across different weather conditions, site topography and PV module technology. Built by our software team using digital twin modeling techniques and Nextracker’s unsurpassed dataset of historical tracker performance, these algorithms drive maximum performance for every project throughout the day, whether it’s sunny or cloudy, and whether a project uses full-cell, half-cell, or thin-film solar module technology.
Row-to-Row Tracking: Under clear-sky conditions, TrueCapture tracks the sun and adjusts the tracker angle for each row based on site topography, the type of module technology used, and their responses to inter-row shading.
Diffuse Tracking: During cloudy, hazy, foggy, and other diffuse-sky conditions, sunlight is scattered across the sky dome, allowing for additional energy to be harvested by adjusting tracker angles to a more horizontal position. By opening the solar module’s aperture area to capture more diffuse irradiance, this algorithm can boost production during these periods by 20 to 30%, translating to annualized gains of 0.5% to 2% depending on the degree of sky cloudiness or haziness at the site.
Zonal Diffuse™: Our latest edition of TrueCapture includes expanded sensing capabilities and applies different algorithms across the solar plant based on real-time light conditions, increasing the optimization granularity on large projects. Zonal Diffuse can adjust trackers to variations in cloud cover across the entire power plant. For example, if the eastern portion of a solar plant is sunny while the western portion is cloudy, TrueCapture will automatically zone the site and employ diffuse algorithms where optimal. Plants equipped with Zonal Diffuse can “chase clouds” for additional gains, without compromising tracking performance during clear skys.
For maximum returns, each solar power project must optimize for its unique and complex combination of PV technology, site terrain, and variable weather conditions. TrueCapture software makes this possible in combination with Nextracker’s unique independent row hardware, communications, and controls. By implementing IE-validated TrueCapture, project owners enjoy bankable production gains and maximized project financing.
