Arctech releases SkyWings single-axis solar tracker

From pv magazine USA

Arctech, a Chinese supplier of tracking, racking, and building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), said it has launched its latest solar tracking solution, SkyWings. The dual-row tracker is designed with bidirectional slew drives and a multi-point drive mechanism.

It said SkyWings combines the advantages of dual-row solar trackers and is compatible with undulating terrain, with high rigidity enabled by a multi-point drive design. The patented bidirectional slew drives allow two rows to move in synchronicity.

The undulation tolerance of adjacent rows has increased to 15% in both east/west and north/south directions. The modular design allows flexibility in plant layout design, in order to accommodate more PV modules than conventional trackers in the same conditions, said Arctech.

SkyWings incorporates a multi-point drive mechanism and specially designed torque tube-the patented triple D torque tube, allowing for stowing in a horizontal position with the highest stability.

The rack allows modules to be stowed flat, which prevents cracking and delamination, particularly in newer large-format modules. SkyWings only starts stowing at 22 meters per second, which generates up to 2% more energy yield per year, leading to a lower levelized cost of energy.

The post span can be extended by 10 meters, which the company said can bring down installation costs by up to 20% and the entire engineering, procurement, and construction expenditure by up to 2%, compared to projects utilizing traditional 1P trackers.

The trackers are controlled by second-generation AI-assisted algorithms, calculating optimum tilt in various weather conditions and topographies. Arctech said the real-time shading avoidance can boost production by 8%.

In desert environments, the SkyWing tracker can be paired with Artech’s cleaning robot, SkyWe.