NEXTracker Expands Solar Tracker Offering with Launch of NX Gemini
FREMONT, Calif.—September 24, 2019 — NEXTracker, a Flex company, introduced today a new member of its smart single-axis solar tracker family—NX GeminiTM. The next-generation two-module-in-portrait (2P) tracker is optimized for customer sites with hard soils, challenging terrain, irregular parcel shapes and high-wind requirements. The combination of NEXTracker’s flagship NX HorizonTM and NX Gemini offers customers the industry’s most comprehensive solar tracker portfolio, providing greater flexibility to reliably configure systems at their project sites for maximum energy output across a broad range of site conditions.
Engineered for resilience, NX Gemini’s innovative 2P architecture results in shorter overall row lengths for design flexibility and contiguous solar panels for maximum array density. NX Gemini supports up to four 1500V strings and requires only seven foundation posts for typical sites, delivering the industry’s lowest number of foundations per megawatt. The ruggedized 2P tracker features a patent-pending self-locking, multi-actuator distributed drive system for maximum stability in all wind conditions.
NX Gemini’s installation-friendly array height and drive system allows the attachment of all modules on one side while the tracker is tilted, with the ability to rotate to complete the installation process on the opposite side. This feature delivers exemplary construction velocity for 2P trackers.
NX Gemini leverages the field-proven innovations found in NX Horizon, such as independent-row architecture, intelligent control systems and wireless communications. The 2P tracker supports either monofacial or bifacial PV modules and is integrated with the entire NEXTracker software ecosystem, including the TrueCaptureTM advanced smart control and energy yield enhancement platform. To maintain optimal performance and productivity, NX Gemini is backed by NEXTracker’s global asset management and Digital O&M services.
“With the launch of NX Gemini, we’ve pushed the boundary yet again on what a solar tracker can do and expanded our vision of the connected power plant of the future,” said Dan Shugar, NEXTracker CEO. “The innovation baked into NX Gemini’s 2P architecture is a testament to our deep R&D bench and customer focus. The powerful pairing of NX Horizon and NX Gemini means developers, EPCs and asset owners now have access to a complete suite of intelligent solar tracking solutions for their large-scale projects, regardless of site conditions.”
“The NEXTracker team has always collaborated with us during their product development process, resulting in trackers that are faster to build, compatible for more sites and easier to maintain,” said George Hershman, president of Swinerton Renewable Energy. “NX Gemini is a strong tracker option for sites with challenging topography and geotechnical conditions. We look forward to this product roll-out.”
According to Wood Mackenzie Power and Renewables, the solar tracker market has enjoyed tremendous growth over the past five years, increasing by 20% in 2018. In fact, Wood Mackenzie analysts forecast the global solar market to exceed 100 gigawatts of deployment by the end of 2019, demonstrating the potential for even more explosive growth as the addressable market expands and advanced technologies are introduced to meet that demand.