Single-axis trackers

SF7 Bifacial

Bifacial modules collect energy on both the front and rear sides, capturing reflected irradiance from the ground surface under and around the tracker and from other modules. Depending on site conditions, bifacial yield-gain can reach +30 percent.

SF7 standard features provide for drop-in bifacial compatibility with higher mounting height, shadow-free backside, and wide-aisle reflecting surfaces. In addition to intrinsically optimizing bifacial gain, the standard features enable other economic and performance benefits compared to the leading competitors.

SF7 standard features result in a higher mounting height of bifacial modules which reduces shadow projection intensity and maximizes bifacial yield-gain. The features also eliminate the principal bifacial flaw of leading competitors of torque-tube shading, and reduces foundation-pile backside shading. The features also result in the highest and driest location of the motor, electronics, and cabling, and result in the fewest piles-per-MW among leading competitors.

SF7 double-wide service aisles between tracker rows increase bifacial reflected albedo capture from the ground and from solar modules of adjacent tracker rows. This feature also results in double the MW-per-pass rate of array washing and vegetation control, reducing O&M costs.

The cabling management solution DC Harness StringRunner and the absence of dampers not only eliminate bifacial backside shading but also provide the highest-grade cabling protection against environmental conditions, requiring zero maintenance.

Soltec leads with the World’s First Bifacial Tracker Evaluation Center. The mission BiTEC is to perform rigorous assessment of installation and control parameter influences on bifacial tracking performance compared to other bifacial PV applications. Soltec is investigating some specific factors that are known to influence production, such as module mounting height above grade, rear-side obstructions that cause shading and losses, and varying inter-row spacing distances to measure the effect on albedo.

Soltec and BiTEC are collaborating with the U. S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), with engineering, construction and consulting powerhouse Black & Veatch and the world renown certification and bankability laboratory Renewable Energy Test Center (RETC).