Nevados was selected to increase capacity by using land not accessible by traditional trackers without significant grading. A comparative grading profile of the site was created, showing as great as a 7.8% slope change at a single foundation (Diagram 1). With the Nevados ATT, there was no requirement to grade, as this was well within the system’s capability. Not only did this support the economics of the project from a civil lens, but it also allowed for natural land preservation. When compared with neighboring areas of the site where grading was required with other equipment, the Nevados portion offered increased efficiency during construction. The ungraded land was able to drain water more rapidly after rainstorms, was easier to navigate, and required no soil stabilization effort. Further, the simplicity of equipment install allowed the construction team to recover weeks of unrelated equipment and construction delays.

With uniform foundation reveal heights, the structure was easily built at chest height using pre-assembled bearings that were simply placed on top of the piles with finger-tight bolts. As the torque tubes were installed, the bearings auto-aligned, eliminating the costly bearing alignment steps necessary for other solar trackers. This combination of labor efficiencies positively impacted the construction schedule by making up for lost time spent on other portions of the site. In addition, following completion of the site, there was no requirement to reseed the Nevados portion as vegetation grew back fully without issue.

From a design perspective, the site boundaries were particularly difficult, requiring avoidance of wetlands and the use of variable row lengths. The Nevados ATT effectively adapted to buildable areas of the site to fully maximize available capacity. Where possible, Nevados used shared row ends, sharing the north-most foundation of one row with the south-most foundation of the next. This approach reduces the quantity of foundations and associated tracker components to support in cost saving efforts.