In a bid to reduce risks related to delivery delays and to strengthen its domestic supply chain, leading solar tracker manufacturer Array Technologies has signed up to receive local supplies of steel and aluminum from Steel Dynamics and Extruded Aluminum Corporation (EAC), respectively.
Michigan-based EAC produces aluminum extrusions, including structural fastening clamps that Array says are highly recyclable and contain recycled aluminum.
Array's 10-year agreement also supports EAC's nearly $35 million capital expansion, including adding 180,000 sq. ft. to its existing fab and the addition of one of the largest aluminum presses in Michigan. Array says this new press will enable further design innovation for its products.
Indiana-based Steel Dynamics will supply coil to Array from its flat roll steel mills under another long-term agreement for the latter's US projects. Steel coils lend strength to the tracker's structural frame, explains Array, and are also used into the crafting of essential mechanical elements as gears and levers, brackets and mounts.
Steel Dynamics uses recycled ferrous scrap as the primary raw material for the high-quality steel it produces.
"Through this agreement, we are not only continuing our ability to source in excess of 85% of our tracker product content domestically—leading the industry—but also reducing risks related to delivery delays and quality issues for our customers," said Array CEO Kevin Hostetler.
The tracker manufacturer says this high proportion of US-sourced material will make it easier for its customers to meet domestic content requirement under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
These agreements follow Array's July 2023 contract with Lock Joint Tube for its locally-produced utility-scale steel tubes (see North America PV News Snippets).