How terrain-following trackers reduce costs and improve long-term performance
We all recognize this scene: two screens, one showing a table document with numbers stacking into dizzying heights, the other showing a satellite picture somewhere in Europe, hilly terrain that seems to capture the sun in a basin-like shape. What we see here is the inception of a brand-new solar park; if the numbers end up showing its worth it. Because it’s not only what steel, trackers, panels and construction will cost. It’s how this construction will perform after going on grid. So really, decisions made today, based on the calculations in this spreadsheet, need to consider the whole lifetime.
‘Will I get my return as planned, or am I sinking money into unexpected corrective maintenance efforts for a fragile solar park system?’
Given the significant financial stakes involved, often amounting to hundreds of millions, it is natural for investors to exercise caution.
EPCs feel the pressure to provide some really good arguments for each project. The easiest, timesaving and cost-efficient solution? Don’t adapt your surroundings, adapt to them.