Nextracker announced today it is the first solar tracker equipment and software provider to surpass 50 gigawatts (GW) in global shipments, which is equivalent to the peak electricity demand of California, the fifth largest economy in the world. During Nextracker’s six-year run as the global market leader in its sector, the company’s technology has boosted power output of major solar power plants in 40 countries across six continents.
“Nextracker has been a trusted partner of Mortenson’s solar business for many years. They are an organization that is easy to do business with and their tracker solutions are proven and reliable. Nextracker is pioneering the future of sustainable energy solutions and we congratulate them for achieving such a monumental milestone,” said Eric Grenz, Mortenson VP and General Manager.
“We are attracted to Nextracker’s unique design which brings competitive edges in constructability and energy capture,” said Brian Gorda, Vice President of Engineering & Pre-Construction at Terra-Gen. “Their technology advancements enable us to develop more complicated project sites with the same high performance that were previously unworkable.”
Year-over-year shipment data for Nextracker solar trackers totaling 50 GW, 2014-2021.
Company officials credit its rapid sales growth to focusing on superior financial returns for owners of solar power plants.
“Our executive leadership team draws from decades of experience as solar developers, builders, and operators of solar power plants” said Nextracker CEO and Founder Dan Shugar. “That enables us to understand that plants need to produce maximum energy, have very efficient construction metrics, and lower maintenance costs. We then incorporate customer feedback to deliver value across that spectrum.”
Nextracker has invested in technology innovations that boost power output and reduce costs for power plant owners, including:
- The NX Horizon™ solar tracker, with best-in-class performance, reliability, and the lowest levelized cost of energy (LCOE), also features a balanced mechanical design that delivers superior bifacial energy production and has been deployed more than any other tracker in the world
- Its signature,TrueCapture™ smart control software that helps utility-scale solar power plants mitigate drops in power output triggered by cloud cover or when one row of panels casts a shadow over panels in neighboring rows
- The company’s latest advancement is the Split Boost algorithm, which optimizes energy yield for split-cell silicon photovoltaic (PV) modules. Watch video overview here.
TrueCapture software sales alone have grown to 20 GW, implemented in over a third of the company’s global projects. This control software can enhance power output with up to six percent energy gains, delivering proven financial benefits to more than 150 solar plants globally to date. Nextracker also pioneered independent row architecture that facilitates solar panel cleaning and vegetation management for lower site operating and maintenance costs.
A worldwide map of projects can be found here, including some of the largest solar power plant projects in the world. Notable projects include: Permian Solar in Texas (500 MW), Villanueva in Mexico (835 MW), Travers Solar Plant in Canada (691 MW), Sol do Cerrado in Brazil (766 MW), New England solar farm in Australia (520 MW), and Mohammed Bin Rashid Solar Park in Dubai (1 GW).