Solar tracking equipment manufacturer Array Technologies has completed shipment of a tracking system to a 170MWac solar PV project near Calexico, California, six months ahead of schedule.
The plant, for Centinela Solar Energy, is in California’s Imperial Valley and will be constructed by Fortune 500 listed EPC and maintenance firm Fluor.
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Array supplied the project, around 700 hectares in area, with the company’s single-axis DuraTrack HZ Solar tracking system. According to Array, 1.5GW of the DuraTrack system has been installed around the world to date.
Fluor won the EPC contract for the Centinela plant in September 2012, also winning a separate contract to operate and maintain the power station. Phase one of construction installed 125MW, the second phase which is currently ongoing, will see another 45MW of capacity installed to make the total capacity of 170MW. Yingli Green won the contract to supply panels.
Generated electricity will be sold to utility company San Diego Gas and Electric (SDGE) under a reported 20 year agreement and the plant is expected to be connected to SDGE’s clean energy transmission line, Sunrise Powerlink.
Update: Array Technologies has now supplied 265MW of its Dura Track HZ solar tracking system to the Centinela Solar project near Calexico in California. Using 1300 delivery trucks, the plant is now being constructed by Abengoa. The tracking is the largest tracking system for thin film panels installed in the world, to date.
Array Technology was challenged with the thin film panels’ frameless design, but used its unique patent-pending bowed tracker rack. Using the specifically designed bow-truss solution to save on labour and material requirements, for a speedier installation.
The racking shipment was completed several weeks ahead of schedule.