With the introduction of the Inflation Reduction Act and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Bill, government agencies are putting their might behind renewable projects, offering grants for research and development as well as directly subsidizing projects to help speed production.
However helpful these programs are, they aren’t doing much to change the 500,000 person-and-growing skilled labor shortage that is creating a major bottleneck for new solar projects. Although it may be easier now to get projects approved, it’s not uncommon to see a project sit in limbo for months because the EPC isn’t able to get the people needed to complete the installation.
Better by Design
In tight labor markets scarcity can drive up wages giving person-hours extra weight in the cost equation. Over hundreds of megawatts worth of installations, extra hours add up. The Nevados team has worked diligently to remove the pain points that drive up these extra installation hours and drive down project margins.
At Nevados we understand how hard it can be for developers and EPCs to keep projects on schedule. From slow permitting, to supply chain issues, to labor shortages. These factors bog down projects leading to lost time and money.
Nevados goal has been to develop the most terrain-capable tracker system on the market, an innovative hardware, software, and controls package designed to go where others cannot. The same design that delivers unparalleled terrain performance, allows for unmatched installation efficiency. Through direct consultation with EPCs and installers, we deliver hardware designs that meet their needs, providing the complete package to make installation challenging terrain as easy and efficient for ground crews as possible.
Attention to Design Detail Pays Dividends
In a recent study by solar construction consultants Eclipse-M, Nevados was ranked first in installation time among all other market relevant trackers. The analysis shows the Nevados tracker requires only 118 labor hours per megawatt installed, the lowest by a considerable margin for any comparable tracker. In comparison, Eclipse-M determined similar trackers require between 159 to 244 labor hours per megawatt, meaning the Nevados solution provides a 25-50% increase in installation efficiency. It should be noted these figures are achieved using standard construction methods, but they can be reduced even further, with Eclipse-M stating, “… this is the first 650W tracker case Eclipse-M has studied where the possibility of achieving less than 100 PH/MW is possible using an advanced lean installation system.”
Features of the design of the All Terrain TrackerⓇ (ATT) that lead to this efficiency include:
- Pre-assembled components: The 1-piece bearing assembly and pre-assembled top-down clamps significantly reduce installation time and labor.
- Auto-alignment: The advanced bearing and post connection design simplifies alignment for faster installation on any terrain.
- Single-worker installation: Key ATT® installation steps, including the bearing assembly, drive system, and modules, can be installed by a single worker.
The combination of all the thoughtful features designed in the ATT led Eclipse-M to state it is an “Impressively simple and productive system to install.”
Bringing it All Together
These installation efficiencies, combined with the fact that our tracking solution requires zero site grading, gives the ATT a construction timeline no other tracker solution can match. All the while exhibiting, according to Eclipse-M, the “highest level of tolerance observed for any 1P tracker”.
Amid a labor squeeze, where every hour matters, developers need a solution that puts efficiency first and doesn’t require expensive add-ons to deliver performance. From the ground up, Nevados has thoughtfully designed its solution with developers and EPCs in mind. Let the Nevados ATT Solution work for you.
