Latin America was largest market for solar trackers in 2017 – GTM Research

February 22, 2018
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
NEXTracker, which has manufacturing facilities in Brazil and Mexico solidified its market share leadership, accounting for 33% of all trackers installed, with its nearest rival, Array Technologies accounting for 14% of installations. Image: GTM Research

According to a new report from market research firm GTM Research, solar tracker systems market in 2017 increased by 32% to a record 14.5GW, led surprisingly by Latin America. 

GTM Research noted that the rapid pace of solar installations in Mexico and Brazil were behind the region beating the US for PV power plants using trackers as both countries deployed over 1.5GW of tracking systems in 2017. 

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

Scott Moskowitz, senior analyst at GTM Research and author of the study said, “Mexico and Brazil are two of the fastest growing solar markets in the world, each accounting for over 1.5 gigawatts of tracker shipments in 2017. The U.S. utility-scale market was significantly stunted last year due to tariff uncertainty, so it took a backseat to Latin America.”

As a result, NEXTracker, which has manufacturing facilities in Brazil and Mexico solidified its market share leadership, accounting for 33% of all trackers installed, with its nearest rival, Array Technologies accounting for 14% of installations. 

The leadership position held by NEXTracker was further highlighted by the fact that after Array Technologies none of the other top 10 ranked tracker suppliers came close to a 10% market share, according to the GTM Research report.

“Fundamentals in the global utility-scale solar industry are excellent, and trackers are an obvious choice in most developing solar markets,” added Moskowitz. “We expect 30 percent growth in 2018, with shipments approaching 20 gigawatts.”

However, GTM Research noted that despite the continued strong growth in tracker adoption expected, consolidation in the industry was also expected to continue as supplier margin compression made it increasingly harder to provide profitable growth.

GTM Research cited the acquisition of tracker firm Exosun by steel manufacturing giant ArcelorMittal after Exosun entered bankruptcy in France earlier this year to illustrate the challenges facing tracker suppliers to the solar industry. 

Read Next

October 21, 2025
Australia's solar-plus-storage sector gained momentum with 725MW of solar PV approvals advancing across New South Wales and Queensland.
October 21, 2025
Luminous Robotics has successfully completed its first international deployment of AI-powered solar installation robots at Engie’s 250MW Goorambat East Solar Farm in Victoria, Australia.
October 21, 2025
An independent panel has granted resource consents for the 179MW Glorit Solar Farm in Auckland, New Zealand.
October 17, 2025
Norwegian renewable energy firm Scatec has signed lease agreements for 64MW of solar PV and 10MWh of energy storage capacity in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
October 16, 2025
Masdar and Turkey have entered the final stage of US$1 billion agreement to develop the 1.1GW plant in Bor, Niğde Province, central Turkey.
October 16, 2025
T1 Energy and Nextracker have agreed to use the latter’s steel module frames at the former’s new 5GW module manufacturing facility in Dallas.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
October 21, 2025
New York, USA
Solar Media Events
November 25, 2025
Warsaw, Poland
Solar Media Events
December 2, 2025
Málaga, Spain
Solar Media Events
February 3, 2026
London, UK