US solar company Parliament Solar has selected German manufacturing firm Ideematec to supply a tracking system for its upcoming solar farm in the US state of Texas.
The farm, currently under construction in Waller County outside of the city of Houston, will have a total capacity of 640MW, and Parliament Solar expects the project to begin commercial operations in the fourth quarter of 2024. The company is a joint venture, operated by EnCap Investments and Mercuria Energy, an investment firm and energy company eager to expand their influence in the growing Texas solar sector.
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Ideematec’s Horizon L:TEC product is the company’s latest solar tracker, and will look to optimise operations at the Parliament Solar project by ensuring the panels face the sun as it moves across the sky. The firm has used the technology elsewhere, most notably at the 800MW Al Kharsaah solar farm in Qatar, and Parliament Solar will be optimistic that this track record will help its own project quickly deliver on its potential.
“The flexible configuration and locking technology of our Horizon L:TEC tracker is an ideal combination for the demanding environments throughout Texas,” said Mario Eckl, CEO of Ideematec. “Ideematec’s patented technology provides the highest additional gains, optimises overall yields and improves the lifetime performance of a solar tracking system.”
The news follows a number of encouraging developments for the Texas solar sector, including the beginning of work at Intersect Power’s 415MWp project in the state.
In recent weeks, the Texas government has also refused to pass into law two bills, one in its house and one in its senate, which would have made the permitting process for renewable power projects more expensive and challenging, and the defeat of these bills is something of a victory for solar power in the state in the long-term.
Last year, Texas ranked second in the US, behind only California, in terms of total solar power generation and the Solar Energy Industries Association, the trade body representing solar developers in the US, expects the state’s solar capacity to grow by 34.3GW over the next five years, the most in the US.