Solar Landscapes are Changing

Sites with irregular or fragmented boundaries without reliable grid availability during extreme weather conditions are increasingly common. Site owners; engineering, procurement, and construction professionals; and solar investors need solutions to make these sites profitable. High project costs and lengthy installation times can be major obstacles upfront.

ARRAYтАЩs New Tracker Solutions: ARRAY DuraTrack with SkyLink & ARRAY OmniTrack with SkyLink

The ARRAY SkyLink tracker system enhances the performance and efficiency of our DuraTrack┬о and OmniTrack utility-scale solar trackers. This innovative solution includes an eight-linked-row architecture with passive wind mitigation, PV string-powered brushless DC motor, Zigbee wireless communication, and the full suite of SmarTrack features.

In this white paper, youтАЩll learn more about:

• Key features and benefits of SkyLink: This innovative solution includes an eight-linked-row architecture with passive wind mitigation, PV string-powered brushless DC motor, Zigbee wireless communication, and the full suite of SmarTrack features.
• Significant cost savings: Its streamlined design reduces costs related to trenching, wiring, and electrical supply needs. Coupled with easy-to-carry parts and zero specialized tools, SkyLink can reduce project costs and improve installation timelines.
• Greater flexibility and reliability: SkyLink’s PV-powered control system enables tracker movement regardless of grid status, ideal for extreme weather conditions, including heavy snow and hail. Its eight-row architecture also allows greater flexibility within a site layout, especially when paired with OmniTrack.

Why SkyLink?

SkyLink maintains the leading benefits youтАЩve come to depend on with DuraTrack and OmniTrack while offering greater flexibility and optimization. It reduces dependence on power grids, expanding viable geographic areas for ARRAY solar PV trackers to be installed around the world.

Ready to learn more?

Complete the form below to download our whitepaper to learn more about how ARRAY DuraTrack with SkyLink and ARRAY OmniTrack with SkyLink can benefit your solar projects.

The post How ARRAYтАЩs New SkyLink Tracker System Reduces Project Costs appeared first on ARRAY Technologies.

The Challenge of High Winds

When wind speeds reach certain thresholds, solar modules can experience vibrations and rotations that may lead to structural damage or even module failure. Traditional active stow strategies, though necessary, often result in significant energy losses. ARRAY’s passive wind stow technology changes the game, minimizing energy losses and reducing the risk of damage.

ARRAY’s Solution: Passive Wind Stow Technology

Validated by independent engineering and design firm DNV, ARRAYтАЩs passive wind stow technology significantly reduces average annual energy losses to just 0.05%, compared to the 2.8% from active strategies. This innovative approach ensures that most of the solar rows continue tracking normally, even in high wind conditions, minimizing disruptions and maximizing energy production.

Our passive stow technology has been rigorously tested and validated. DNVтАЩs study confirmed that “for the cases selected for this study, generally, losses from the passive stow cases were lower than those from active stow strategiesтАжтАЭ This validation underscores the efficiency and reliability of our technology in real-world conditions.

Financial and Operational Benefits

• Reduced Energy Losses: Passive stow technology limits energy losses during high wind events to just 0.05% on average, maintaining up to 99.95% energy retention.
• Enhanced Structural Integrity: Minimizes the risks of microcracking and other damage to solar panels, ensuring longer life and better performance.
• Improved Bankability: With higher energy outputs and reduced risk, projects become more viable and attractive to investors, enhancing the overall financial profile and reducing the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE).

Key Findings of the Study

• 0.05% average energy loss with passive stow: Demonstrates our commitment to high efficiency and energy retention.
• 2.8% average energy loss with active stow: Highlights the inefficiencies of conventional methods.
• 4.3% highest energy loss with active stow: Shows the potential risk of sticking with other technologies.

Why Choose ARRAYтАЩs Passive Wind Stow Technology?

As weather events become more severe and frequent, choosing the right stow strategy is crucial for the longevity and profitability of your solar projects. ARRAYтАЩs passive wind stow technology not only protects your physical assets but also secures your financial outcomes and operational stability.

Ready to Enhance Your Solar Efficiency?

Download our whitepaper to learn more about how ARRAYтАЩs passive wind stow technology can benefit your solar projects. Complete the form below to access cutting-edge insights that can transform your approach to managing solar energy in high-wind scenarios.

The post Is Wind Costing You? Discover How Duratrack’s Passive Stow Solves the Energy Drain appeared first on ARRAY Technologies.

As monofacial and bifacial modules trend toward cost parity, the interest in potential increased production from bifacial has grown exponentially. But there are lingering questions on the bankability of bifacial.

Researchers from ARRAY Technologies, PV Lighthouse, and CFV Solar have teamed up to examine and optimize utility-scale testing methodologies to answer these lingering questions.

This white paper will give project developers and investors a realistic view of what they might expect from bifacial and answer timely questions on bifacial power yield calculations.

The questions on bifacial:

• Do one-module-in-portrait (1MIP) trackers work well with bifacial modules?
• Which have more bifacial solar resource available? 1MIP or 2MIP trackers?
• Can bifacial utility-scale field test methodologies be improved?
• Are concerns about structural shading, mismatch or hot spots, and albedo justified?

The post Field Testing Meets Modeling appeared first on ARRAY Technologies.

In this white paper you will learn about:

• Why solar trackers are critical components for hail risk management
• Best practices to mitigate hail and wind damage
• Insurance representativesтАЩ perspective on hail risk

The post Hail Risk Mitigation: Differentiate Your PV Solar Project with the Insurance Industry appeared first on ARRAY Technologies.

This paper will focus on the often-tandem risk of extreme wind and large hail, a comparison of active stow vs. passive mitigation tracker extreme weather risk response strategies, and their effects on commercial insurance costs and coverage.

The recent documented trend of increasingly costly extreme wind and hail disasters is having an effect on the availability and rates of commercial insurance for PV plant stakeholders, creating:

• A focus on weather resiliency affecting the bankability of utility-scale PV projects
• The demand for extreme weather resiliency testing, analysis, and documentation of the equipment that comprise a PV plant, and
• An examination on тАЬInsurance valueтАЭ of cost-effective strategies that mitigate the combined effects of wind and hail.

The post Wind and Hail Risk Mitigation and the Firming of Commercial Insurance Markets for Utility-Scale Solar Power Plants appeared first on ARRAY Technologies.

• Reduces Torsional Galloping
• Patented Passive Wind Mitigation
• Minimum Energy Production Impact

Download the whitepaper to find how you can significantly lower your risk of wind damage on your next PV plant project.

The post A Proven and Tested Wind Mitigation Strategy appeared first on ARRAY Technologies.

As the cost of bifacial modules becomes comparable to that of standard monofacial modules, industry interest has grown. A module that generates power from the front and rear translates to more power per module. More power per module translates to more power per area of installation. It might seem that more power per installation would translate to more power for less cost. However, it is far more complex; especially when it comes to defining how much additional power gain is obtained by using bifacial panels with single axis trackers.

The challenges of bifacial:

• Challenge I: Module Technology
• Challenge II: Impact of Tracker System & Installation Parameters
• Challenge III: Performance & Finance Modelling
• Challenge IV: Tracking Algorithms

The post Bifacial Modules on Single Axis Trackers appeared first on ARRAY Technologies.

Across the United States, Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) contracts are being signed at increasingly lower rates, making it challenging for solar asset owners to maintain a viable return on investment. This has increased the need for developers and owners to fully maximize energy production from photovoltaic (PV) panel systems to meet these competitive PPA targets.

Solar tracking systems have capably fulfilled that need by boosting energy production and providing owners with a more optimized power delivery curve. While itтАЩs clearly established that solar trackers allow for 15-25% higher energy production over fixed-tilt solutions, there is still room to further optimize performance. Designing tracker sites and tracker layouts for maximum energy production, while maintaining the lowest cost of ownership, is the next frontier. For solar tracking projects, there are three performance optimization strategies that solar designers can employ to maximize energy production for a given project site:

• Increasing Row Power Density
• Optimizing Ground Coverage Ratio
• Increasing Range of Motion

This whitepaper examines these three strategies in depth and how they impact energy production, cost, and the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE), at utility-scale solar project sites.

The post Solar Tracker Site Design appeared first on ARRAY Technologies.