For Immediate Release
April 9, 2024
Contact: Peter Kelley, [email protected]
Nevados solar project wins gold medal from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)
Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award honors Bartonsville Energy Facility for innovation and sustainability
Bartonsville, Virginia, April 9, 2024 — The recently commissioned 170 MWdc Bartonsville Energy Facility solar project has been hailed as a model of environmental stewardship and innovation.
This milestone was enabled by the Nevados All Terrain Tracker (ATT), which not only avoids costly and environmentally disruptive grading of rural sites but also significantly reduces the amount of steel required for construction.
The Governor’s Environmental Excellence Awards, an annual program run by Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality in partnership with the Department of Conservation and Recreation, has recognized the Bartonsville Energy Facility partners — MYR Energy Services, Inc., D.E. Shaw Renewable Investments (DESRI), and Nevados — as gold medal winners in the Environmental and Sustainable Project category.
Nevados All Terrain Trackers awaiting commissioning at the Bartonsville Energy Facility, a 170 MW solar farm near Winchester, Virginia. Photo: Nevados.
This prestigious award acknowledges initiatives that go beyond regulatory requirements to improve the environment and promote sustainability. It is being announced today at the Environment Virginia Symposium hosted by the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia.
The only true terrain tracker on the market, Nevados’ All Terrain Tracker features adaptive articulating bearings that enable it to follow the existing terrain over slope changes of up to 26% at every foundation. This unique design eliminates the need for extensive grading, simplifying stormwater management and reducing the scope of permitting. To date, Nevados has executed all of its projects successfully without requiring any grading for the trackers.
“Our All Terrain Tracker represents a significant advancement in solar development, enabling us to utilize solar energy without disrupting the natural landscape,” said Yezin Taha, CEO of Nevados. “By adapting to the terrain, our technology eliminates the need for grading, preserving the land.”
Nevados All Terrain Trackers, precommissioning at the Bartonsville Energy Facility in Virginia. Photo: Nevados.
The Bartonsville Energy Facility is located in the northern tip of Virginia near Winchester. An independent analysis by civil consulting firm Sierra Overhead Analytics revealed that the Nevados All Terrain Tracker eliminated the need to move more than 400,000 cubic yards of soil there, equivalent to 123 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Moreover, the technology reduced the amount of steel needed for piles by more than 230,000 linear feet — over 43 miles of steel saved. Even over other terrain following trackers, the ATT reduces steel requirements with its consistent pile reveal heights.
Often a standard tracker requires different foundation heights to accommodate the straight torque tube. The Nevados system avoids this because the structure itself can follow the terrain, avoiding the need for either grading or variable reveal heights on the foundations.
The avoided earthmoving and steel each saved the Bartonsville project approximately $2.5 million, according to Nevados, for a combined savings of $5 million.
For more information about Nevados and its innovative tracking technology, please visit nevados.solar.
About Nevados
Nevados is the premier solar tracker company for PV power plants built on sloped and rolling terrain. We offer innovative all-terrain trackers paired with a comprehensive software suite in an integrated technology platform that optimizes solar performance, improves plant reliability and respects the natural landscape. Headquartered in Oakland, California and backed by institutional capital, Nevados is transforming utility-scale PV deployment with our tracking solutions and partnership approach. Our mission is to pioneer sustainable solar solutions to preserve the earth for today and for tomorrow. To learn more, please visit www.nevados.solar.
