Trackers

On October 25, pv magazine will host a webinar, powered by JinkoSolar, in which the China-based manufacturer will present the case for using bifacial modules in large-scale solar plants, and discuss the influencing factors and their impact on bifacial PV tracking. In the following Q&A, JinkoSolar’s Andrea Viaro, Head of Technical Service Europe, JinkoSolar, and Colin Caufield, VP of Sales North America, Soltec provide a sneak peak into the technology and the advantages tracking can bring to bifacial technology.

The benefits of deploying bifacial solar panels on single-axis trackers are touted like snake oil these days, with promises of anywhere from 5 to 50% gains in energy output compared with a monofacial panel. Unfortunately, the field data that might delineate the actual energy gain of a bifacial panel on a tracker are hard to acquire, and the data that are available typically describe small-scale tests under tightly defined conditions.

Germany’s Deger Energie and India-based Kavitsu Robotronix will open a new solar PV tracker manufacturing facility in India. The first products are set to come off the production line in January 2019.

Convert will present its new product to intersolar 2018. Convert is an Italian company active for more than 35 years in the energy sector. The TRJ single axis Tracker, is the Convert flagship product, completely designed, developed and patented by Convert and leverages the relevant experience and know-how as reached in the construction of large photovoltaic systems worldwide from 2006.

Over the next three years, Array expects to supply multiple gigawatts of trackers to the developer, as its “primary” tracker supplier.

China continues to grow in importance as a key source of components for solar trackers produced by the world’s leading tracker companies, in part since improvements in Chinese quality control have advanced significantly over the last few years.

Solar tracker makers are bringing specially designed models to the market in order to embrace the coming wave of bifacial panels. While bifacial panels may capture up to 10% more light than monofacial panels, single-axis trackers typically add 25% to that bifacial gain, resulting in a roughly estimated 12.5% gain from the two technologies combined, compared with fixed installs using monofacial panels.

A report published by TÜV Rheinland, which was commissioned by tracker manufacturer, Array Technologies, shows that centralized tracker systems such as those offered by Array Technologies offer an LCOE advantage over other, decentralized system architectures.

The French tracker maker will be integrated in the ArcelorMittal Projects division of the Luxembourg-based steel manufacturer.

Luxembourg-based Arcelormitall may expand its business in the solar sector through the acquisition of insolvent French solar tracker provider, Exosun.