Leading solar tracker manufacturer Nextracker has added 3 new products to its portfolio that it says address the challenges of hail, undulating terrain and the rapidly changing atmospheric conditions.
"These technologies deliver improved solar project profitability and expand the geographic areas where solar is cost effective, furthering our vision of a world powered by renewables," said Founder and CEO Dan Shugar. All of these will be formally unveiled at the upcoming RE+ 2023 trade show in the US.
Among the new products is NX Horizon Hail Pro that the manufacturer says can stow up to 4 times faster than standard trackers in the event of a hailstorm. The stow capabilities in the event of a grid outage work without any operator intervention, it claims.
The NX Horizon XTR-1.5 is suited for hilly terrains as it significantly reduces and even eliminates earthwork on extreme terrain sites without complex joints or additional components. Expanding the capabilities of NX Horizon XTRTM, Nextracker says the XTR-1.5 can save tons of steel with shorter piles and thousands of cubic yards of cut and fill.
This can help speed up construction schedules while minimizing changes to local ecosystem. The 2nd TaiyangNews Market Survey on Solar Trackers covers NX Horizon and NX Gemini products from Nextracker (see Nextracker's NX Horizon And Gemini).
Along with these hardware products, Nextracker has also launched a new control software called Zonal Diffuse that expands the yield optimization offered by its TrueCapture technology. It includes additional high spatial resolution sensing and new control algorithms that come in handy during a cloud cover.
It explains, "Plants equipped with Zonal Diffuse can "chase clouds" for additional gains, without compromising tracking performance during clear sky conditions."
Nextracker's Senior Sales Director Jesus Prado recently participated in TaiyangNews Virtual Conference on Solar Power Developments to discuss the role of tracker technology in keeping utility-scale solar competitive in inflationary environments (see TaiyangNews Solar Power Plant Developments Conference).