New-generation bifacial solar tracker with integrated wind protection system for large scale photovoltaic arrays

ended

With a turnover of €12 million, ESAsolar designs, develops, installs and operates large scale photovoltaic plants, focusing on panel structures and motorized solar trackers. We have completed over 40 successful projects in Europe and America, totaling over 500MW. The market for solar trackers is growing at a CAGR of 18.6% and will reach €25 billion by 2024. Solar trackers improve energy output by 25% over fixed structures. However, these structures also increase installation and maintenance costs, as well as structural risks. Wind damage is the main source of structural risk for trackers. It significantly shortens the lifespan of tracker arrays. Since PV plants need to resist over 20 years of service to be viable, the risk of systemic failures represents a considerable barrier for the growth of the tracker industry. Over the last years, we have been developing a line of solar trackers, with great commercial success. We have introduced advanced features, positioning ourselves as a technological reference. These features include self-powered motors, a computerized backtracking system, an innovative installation procedure and a bifacial system to catch both direct and reflected sunlight, thus improving efficiency by 5%. We will now upgrade our latest prototype with a unique system, called SecureTracker, that will stabilize trackers to avoid wind-induced structural damage. SecureTracker will provide an outstanding solution against structural risks in large scale arrays, extending average lifetime in 10 years. It will reduce overall Levelized Cost of Energy by 30% for utility-scale solar arrays. At a lower cost than alternatives, SecureTracker will give us a decisive competitive advantage, allowing us to increase yearly installations by 300% by 2026, resulting in over €25 million of additional revenues and a ROI of 8.52. SecureTracker will also increase our visibility in the market and consolidate our brand, leading to the creation of over 50 highly qualified jobs.