New patented solar tracking approach validated by an independent third party

Martillac, October 9, 2014. Exosun, a leading provider of solar tracking technologies for utility-scale ground-mounted solar plants, now offers its Exotrack HZ horizontal single-axis tracker with an intelligent patented backtracking process, called SMARTracking.

Solar trackers are motorized structures that orient photovoltaic panels toward the sun throughout the day, to significantly increase solar plant output in comparison to fixed-tilt structures. All solar tracker control programs include a standard backtracking system to minimize shading on PV modules during periods of low solar height (early morning and late afternoon). It usually relies on the theoretical positioning of the trackers on the plant, possibly followed by arduous on-site fine tuning.

Exosun's innovative approach distinguishes itself from its competitors: when designing SMARTracking, Exosun's engineering teams took into account variations in the terrain and the real on-site implementation of the trackers.

The genuine advance of SMARTracking is based on a three-dimensional positioning analysis of each solar tracker on site, thereby achieving the best alignment for the trackers and enabling to individualize the control of each solar tracker. Consequently, SMARTracking allows the plant to generate up to 5% more energy yield annually compared to other traditional single-axis trackers, maximizing ROI. For example, thanks to the implementation of SMARTracking on a 7 MW project in South West France, 440 MWh of electricity can be produced more per year.
SMARTracking™ is a real breakthrough in movement management. Its results have been validated by an independent third party.

Exosun's Exotrack HZ will be on display at Solar Power International, held October 21-23 in Las Vegas. Interested attendees can view a demonstration unit at booth #4906 and learn more about the SMARTracking process.