US solar tracker manufacturer FTC Solar has released its new one module in portrait (1P) Solar Tracker Solution that the company said required fewer foundations and can boost energy yield, with the company also landing its first supply agreement for the new product.
Announced last week (15 September) but to be revealed at the RE+ event in Anaheim, California, where PV Tech is reporting from live, the 1P Solar Tracker Solution requires between 18%-36% fewer foundations, helping to drive down project capex, FTC said.
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Moreover, FTC claimed it can enable 5% greater energy output for a given parcel of land by leveraging shorter row lengths.
Other benefits of the new product according to FTC Solar include: a fast assembly using proprietary fast-module hang technology and fewer overall fasteners; zero-degree stow allows for shorter pile embedment depth; accommodation of ultra-large format modules of between 550W-600W; and high slope tolerance.
“Pioneer achieves a full 18%-36% pile count reduction per megawatt vs. the current industry-leading solutions by volume,” said Nagendra Cherukupalli, CTO of FTC Solar, “allowing customers to benefit from reduced labour and materials costs. And with a high-density design, Pioneer enables up to 5% greater energy output for the same site compared to the competition, among numerous other advantages.”
In addition, the new offering supports all module factors, including those over 2.4 metres in length, will operate independently from the grid during outages and is self-powered with a high-energy battery for up to 3-days overall backup.
“The introduction of Pioneer, FTC’s unique solution to 1P Single Axis Trackers, will disrupt the status quo while enabling the company to serve our customers’ growing portfolios of PV projects with differentiated 1P and 2P solutions,” said Patrick Cook, Chief Commercial Officer of FTC Solar.
Indeed, FTC has already bagged a 500MW contract with construction and infrastructure company Primoris Renewable Energy (Primoris) to supply multiple sites across the US.
“We are honoured to be selected by Primoris, a leading solar EPC, to further strengthen our relationship and supply a number of future projects including with our latest tracker technology, Pioneer,” said Patrick Cook, COO at FTC Solar, which has recently seen its revenue drop amid import difficulties in the US, including the AD/CVD investigation.
FTC Solar will be unveiling its new tracker technology during the annual RE+ Power show on 19-22 September in Anaheim, California, where PV Tech is reporting live from the event.