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Designing solar project on challenging terrain: How tracker design choices impact project economics

The rapid growth in solar installations means many projects are on uneven terrain. In this webinar, Nevados experts will discuss optimizing designs and infrastructure for challenging sites to ensure successful project implementation.

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The astounding growth in solar installations around the world means that many projects will be sited on land that is not completely flat, which is considered “topographically challenging terrain.” Before the first pile is driven into the ground, developers should carefully consider how trackers are designed for sites with challenging terrain. In this webinar, experts from Nevados will discuss how to optimize project designs on challenging terrain and develop the infrastructure to support it.

Our guest speakers, Riley Caron, lead sales engineer, and Kevin West, principal sales engineer, will delve into specific design choices that impact the economics of projects.

Riley has worked in the solar industry for 15 years in roles spanning utility, commercial and rooftop sectors. He has been a design engineer, performance engineer, rooftop project manager and applications engineer.

Kevin has 18 years of experience in the renewable energy sector, with a proven track record of leading and managing complex engineering processes, from business development and proposal generation to product development and field testing.

pv magazine webinar content:

  • Introduction to terrain-following trackers: Understanding slope versus undulating terrain
  • Civil impacts of design choices: How does a terrain-following tracker change your design choices (e.g., installing a tracker where you would have otherwise put a retention pond)
  • Other impacts of design choices, such as labor costs
  • High-level process: Inputs, process and results
  • Software and platforms for designing on terrain (including PDP).
  • Energy models for challenging terrain

Key takeaways:

  • Understand the project economics: Grading study, energy model and full-design packet
  • Knowledge of how to optimize tracker and infrastructure design through real-world examples of installations on challenging terrain.

Questions can be submitted beforehand in the comments window when registering, or in the chat during the live webinar.

Registration for this pv magazine webinar is free of charge.

Speakers

Riley Caron | lead sales engineer, Nevados

Riley Caron has worked in the solar industry for 15 years in roles spanning the utility, commercial and rooftop sectors. He has been a design engineer, performance engineer, rooftop project manager and applications engineer, and likes helping people figure things out. He holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California.

Kevin West | principal sales engineer, Nevados

Kevin West has 18 years of experience in the renewable energy sector, with a proven track record of leading and managing complex engineering processes, from business development and proposal generation to product development and field testing. Kevin holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Davis.

Moderators

Anne Fischer | Senior editor, pv magazine USA

Anne Fischer is a senior editor at pv magazine USA. Anne is a seasoned writer, editor, and journalist. Her career has included writing for leading technology publications, with a focus on renewable energy and sustainability.

Rachel Metea | Associate Editor, pv magazine USA

Rachel joined pv magazine in 2024, bringing experience in writing about electrical protection for solar and battery energy storage systems, and as a writer and editor for various publications. Rachel holds both a master's degree and a bachelor's degree in journalism from DePaul University.

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