First Solar buys RayTracker, adds single-axis tracker, balance-of-systems technology

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

First Solar has acquired Idealab operating company RayTracker, a photovoltaic panel tracking technology and balance-of-systems firm based in Pasadena, CA. RayTracker's team will join First Solar's engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) group, and the acquired company’s customers will be transitioned to its new parent.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

The new additions will bring expertise in solar technology innovation, reliability engineering, advanced PV system modeling, software engineering, product development, and high-volume manufacturing to the company, according to First Solar.

The RayTracker suite of technology includes GC-Series single-axis trackers, PV-Platform Software Toolset for system design and operation, wireless infrastructure, and other PV balance-of-system innovations.

Originally a product group of fellow Idealab company and concentrator PV developer Energy Innovations, RayTracker spun out as a separate entity in March 2009. The BOS firm experienced solid growth in 2010, saying it had tripled quarter-over-quarter revenue in successive quarters in the first half of the year.  

First Solar spokesman Alan Bernheimer told PV-Tech via email that the deal is indeed closed and that no terms have been disclosed. The nine employees of RayTracker will remain in Pasadena.

“Tracker technology is one of a numbe­r of initiatives under development in our systems group as part of our broader effort to enable lower LCOE [levelized cost of energy] pricing capability and further differentiate our solution in the market,” he explained. “Customers are increasingly interested in trackers for their potential to optimize energy yield and reduce the LCOE.

He also said that First Solar is “field testing the [tracker] technology,” although there are “no results to report.”

“We are not announcing any new products at this time,” he added. “First Solar is still evaluating the effectiveness of tracking and other advanced systems technologies and will announce product offerings through a customer release process when appropriate to do so.”

RayTracker stated in July that it would be increasing its outsourced manufacturing capacity to 25MW per month and that it had more than 1.5GW in its “pipeline of quoted projects.”

REC Solar, Martifer Solar, and groSolar have been cited as RayTracker customers that had used the newly acquired company’s equipment in their 2010 projects.

Although he could not provide any further information on the current manufacturing status of RayTracker's product line or First Solar’s strategy for tracker production, Bernheimer did say that the company “will continue to honor the contractual commitments of RayTracker. Other order requests will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.”

Read Next

November 7, 2024
New South Wales, Australia, has secured the highest allocation of energy generation in the upcoming Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS) tender, standing at 7.1GW.
November 7, 2024
Turkey has launched its latest solar tender, seeking 800MW of capacity to be split between six projects in six regions across the country.
November 7, 2024
The Indian states of Rajasthan and Gujarat need a “concerted effort” to maintain their central roles in the country’s energy transition, according to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA).
November 7, 2024
The China Energy International Engineering Co. (Energy China) is about to embark on a milestone 1GW solar project in Iraq.
November 7, 2024
Freyr Battery has agreed to acquire a 5GW module manufacturing facility in the US state of Texas from Trina Solar.
Premium
November 7, 2024
PV Talk: Kane Thornton, CEO of Australia’s Clean Energy Council, tells George Heynes about the opportunities for solar PV in Australia's bid to become a renewable energy 'super power'.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
November 12, 2024
San Diego, USA
Solar Media Events, Upcoming Webinars
November 13, 2024
4pm GMT / 8am PST
Solar Media Events
November 19, 2024
Philadelphia, USA
Solar Media Events
November 20, 2024
Zhuhai, China
Solar Media Events
November 21, 2024
London, UK