American solar tracker manufacturer Nextracker and local steel fabricator BCI Steel have reopened the Bethlehem Steel Manufacturing Factory in Leetsdale, Pittsburg that will produce solar tracker equipment for large scale solar power plants in Pennsylvania, Indiana, New York and Ohio.
Nextracker explained that the steel processing plant—located ideally in the proximity to river and rail transport—will incorporate BCI Steel's new and re-shored equipment shipped to the US from its Malaysian and Brazilian fabs.
The leading tracker supplier will source steel 'mined, melted and made in America' for its advanced solar tracker systems. "This investment will increase the resilience of the U.S. solar supply chain and bring manufacturing jobs, equipment, and capacity back to America," said Nextracker CEO and Founder Dan Shugar during the reopening event which also had EDP Renewables' CEO Sandhya Ganapathy and Lightsource bp COO Ann Davies in attendance.
In the last few months, this is the 3rd solar tracker fabrication line in the US commissioned by Nextracker as its commitment to building 10 GW of annual domestic solar tracker capacity with a local supply chain.
In April 2022, it commissioned a new green steel tracker production line in Texas with JM Steel, followed by another dedicated manufacturing line in Arizona with Atkore (see Nextracker & Atkore Commission Manufacturing Line In Arizona).
Nextracker's Lubba Mawar will be speaking about Mastering Today's Challenges for Trackers—Rolling Terrains, Material Shortage and Low Carbon Footprint on July 5, 2022 during Bifacial & Solar Trackers Conference of TaiyangNews, to be held virtually. Registrations are free here.