feature solar tracker Track Them Aggressive competitive bidding has increased the need Down! to explore means of reducing the cost of generating power, and with solar tariffs down to a level no one imagined, trackers are the only known technology which can enable 10-20 per cent reduction of LCoE, thereby becoming the preferred option. Photo Courtesy: ACME Cleantech Solutions Ltd. nergy transformation has competition from major and minor position automatically in accordance arrived in India! According to players. Although, the sentiments with the sun’s movement. the recent figures published looks visibly positive, but in a quest to The developed economies around by Ministry of New and improve solar portfolio, the players the globe entering into large scale ERenewable Energy (MNRE) the country have overlooked one important factor ground mounted solutions are added 5,526 MW of new solar capacity – the performance of a solar plant. investing only into tracking. The US has (up 83 per cent over FY15-16). While How, is the question, nevertheless about 75-80 per cent penetration of these numbers are impressive, it is SOLAR TODAY has the answer. ground mounted tracking today. worth noting that the solar capacity Despite abundance of solar power Whereas a country like India, blessed addition including rooftop solar is in India, the availability of the same with abundant sunlight, is languishing almost 50 per cent below the annual varies widely with time. As sunlight at around five per cent penetration of target of 12,000 MW. varies daily due the day-night cycle tracking technology. In case of solar tariff, the disruption and depends on seasons, the time has already started, and according to available for solar power generation is WHY SOLAR TRACKER? analysts, it is likely to go further down limited. Hence, to avoid such There are many reasons to from the current Rs 2.44/kWh level. limitations and to capture maximum believe, but essentially increasing the Ironically, the sector, in the coming six solar insolation, a solar tracker system output performance of solar plant months will witness an intense can be designed which changes its tops the chart. As Vinay Goyal, Chief 50 g SOLAR TODAY July-September 2017 www.SolarToday.co.in QUICK FACTS Executive Officer, Ganges generates approx 15.70 lakh kWh Installations of solar trackers International (P) Ltd explained, units. This gives an unlevered Internal will reach 3-4 GW by 2020 “compared to a fixed mounted PV Rate of Return (IRR) of 16.73 per cent system, the use of tracker technology and a levered IRR of 19.98 per cent. in India. can give an incremental power output With the installation of trackers India solar industry will of 15-25 per cent, depending upon though, there will be a 10 per cent remain in focus with 9 GW the location being installed.” increase in capex, the plant will installations planned in 2017. He added, “It is the nature of the generate 18.88 lakh kWh units, an system to track the sun at every point increase of 20 per cent from fixed market is expected to witness of time (based on the algorithm) from installation. That said, unlevered IRR Asia Pacific solar tracker dawn to dusk, hence helping in will increase by 1.78-18.51 per cent Global solar tracker generating maximum generation from and levered IRR will witness an significantmarket will gains reach by $6.83 2022. bn the same solar panel used for fixed increase of 22.67 per cent, compared by 2022. ground mounts.” to a fixed tilt plant. Tracker technology can give an On a price performance basis, the incremental power output of solar tracker has an advantage. INNOVATION AND EVOLUTION 15-25 per cent. Consider this: The fixed tilt plant with a At present, solar tracker companies capex of around Rs 4.75 crore, such as NEXTracker, AllEarth July-September 2017 SOLAR TODAY g 51 feature solar tracker Photo Courtesy: Ganges International (P) Ltd. India, blessed with abundant sunlight, has around five per cent penetration of solar tracking technology. Renewables, Scorpius Trackers, L&T, articulated joints, dust avoidance and Under the agreement, Ganges Ganges International and Vikram Solar rain mode. manufactures, install and provide has made some amazing technological Highlighting the importance O&M support for SunLink TechTrack developments. To begin with, Vikram Siddhartha Sengupta, President- single-axis trackers in India. SunLink Solar’s HELITRAC can change the solar Engineering, Vikram Solar will provide not only its proven industry by further improving PV commented, “In large scale MW technology but also PowerCare efficiencies. It can change its projects, utilisation of sun tracking engineering services and VERTEX orientation throughout the day to systems is becoming increasingly software platform to Ganges and its follow the sun’s path to maximise prevalent as it enables developers to customers. The solution is based on energy capture; and allows east-west make maximum utilisation of hydraulic technology which no other land undulations up to 3-5 degrees. available land by generating more competitors possess or have Additionally, its IP65 gears and drives electricity even from a shredded down introduced in the market. make the system weather proof and DC capacity.” “Hydraulics is always superior in robust. The product is a breakthrough In case of Ganges International, the handling larger loads with very low development, as it introduces certain company in a joint venture with operation and maintenance cost. Only unique features for the first time in SunLink is supporting India’s 100 GW one actuator is used for handling 1.2 India that includes link tube with National Solar Mission. MW capacity plant. It is a single axis horizontal tracking system with tilt angle of +- 52.5 degree which is Fixed Tilt compatible for all major module Power Distribution Chart Single axis tracker manufacturers,” explain Goyal. Dual axis tracker Meanwhile, L&T is India’s only EPC 700 player to execute solar trackers using 600 solar PV and concentrated solar project (CSP) technology. L&T is India’s 500 first company with a portfolio of 400 approx. 140 MWp solar tracker projects. Said Paintamilselvan M S, 300 Product Manager, L&T Solar Tracker, “L&T has constructed India’s largest 200 azimuth tracker based power plant 00 during 2011 in Gujarat. It is been consistently rated as the plant with 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 0 highest PLF (Plant Load Factor) for past Time (24 Hrs scale) 6 years as per data published by Gujarat government.” 52 g SOLAR TODAY July-September 2017 www.SolarToday.co.in easy installation without any welding requirement. Each row is independently tracked, thereby making both installation and maintenance easy. It comes with Auto Stowing features and its mechanical components have been tested for 25 years to ensure reliability. The wireless integration helps control and monitor the tracker’s critical parameters with minimal cabling. It allows real time monitoring of the additional benefit of tracker over fixed tilt system. Mahindra Susten’s installation of 2.7MW tracker system at two sites in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, have started showing benefits, approx. 19 per cent at site. Susten also has another 8.5 MWp of trackers under Photo Courtesy: Tata Power Solar. Photo Courtesy: Tata Panels with solar trackers need to be spaced out so one does not shade out another; installation. Susten’s experience in this requires proper project implementation. solar industry of over 654 MWp has gone into the design of these L&T’s horizontal single-axis solar AllEarth Renewables’ Dual-axis tracker, designed in-house, moves Solar Tracker seems like an amazing POPULAR TRACKERS 1,200 solar panels mounted on 30 new development in the solar There are two types of tracker rows using a single gear drive housed segment. AllEarth’s tracker uses GPS technologies being used in India - in the middle. The movement is and wireless technology to track sun’s centralised and distributed. The major synchronised with precision of ± 1° arc in sky throughout the day. The difference between the two is the even in desert winds. This technology result? Soaking up 45 per cent more number of structures that it can drive evolved during the last five years. energy than traditional rooftop solar. and the type of drive technology – The benefits of this technology are Over 4,000 trackers have already been hydraulic and motor gearbox assembly. multifold: enhanced solar energy installed, and AllEarth is poised to take Indian market has both these production, sustainable use of land the rest of the solar market by storm. technologies for different types of and other resources, reduced CO2 The trackers are designed for capacities on ground. emissions and more affordable residential, commercial and industrial Centralised tracker can drive as big solar energy. operations, along with small and large as 1.2 MW of solar block, whereas NEXTracker which has recently utility-scale installations. distributed tracker can drive only achieved 1 GW of solar tracker in India Mahindra Susten has developed 300-500 kW of solar block. Thus, has incorporated control systems into in-house horizontal single axis tracker because of fewer components in case their trackers which monitor the angle (HSAT) (MSAT-100) which overcome of centralised tracker, there are less of each row of solar panels in real time traditional disadvantages of using chances of failure and are easily and report back on tracking accuracy trackers. MSAT is self-powered, and serviceable. Therefore, centralised in order to keep panels facing directly hence doesn’t require any additional finds more customers globally when into the sun all the time. The cabling at site. The entire system has opting for a large scale projects.