pv magazine Webinar | Analyzing Risk and Economic Impact of Two Solar Tracker Architectures

Initiative partner: Array Technologies

TÜV Rheinland PTL (TÜV), an independent analyst, recently released a report on the economic and risk analysis of two solar tracker architectures. The first architecture in the study is a centralized system driven by a single motor, linked by a rotating driveline to multiple tracker rows. The second architecture is a decentralized system where each row operates as a self-contained unit with a dedicated photovoltaic (PV) panel, battery, motor, and other tracker system components.

This webinar will give a high-level overview of TÜV’s report, including descriptions of the technical characteristics of each tracker system, followed by a failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA). We will also discuss TÜV’s methodology to assess risk associated with component failures, and conclude with a Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) / Net Present Value (NPV) analysis, highlighting the economic impact of the two technologies on developers, owners, financiers, and insurers of utility scale solar power plants.

Key highlights of the report include the following benefits of the centralized tracker architecture over the decentralized tracker architecture:

• 6.7% Lower Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE)
• 15.7% Lower Fixed Operation and Maintenance (O&M) Costs
• 4 Cents/Watt DC Higher Net Present Value (NPV)
• Unscheduled Maintenance Events 1/Year Versus 2/Day

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This webinar was recorded on 29 November 2017.