Mechatron Solar will inaugurate a unique six-unit dual-axis commercial solar tracker car canopy at the Kahala Tower in Burlingame, California on November 13.
Mechatron Solar’s patented M18KD-20 tracker is the largest dual-axis solar tracker available in the U.S.
The six-unit dual axis solar tracker and carport yields between 45% to 60% more energy than a fixed-tilt solar array using the same number of solar panels, at a cost of about 50% less than fixed-tilt.
The Mechatron array will provide a Levelized Cost of Energy at seven cents per kilowatt-hour, compared with an estimated LCOE of 24 cents for a fixed-tilt design. Due to its cost-benefit, the Mechatron tracker enables a return on investment of fewer than four years. The total cost of this project was $368,000 compared to an equivalent carport canopy system at $733,300 — an overwhelming 49% capital investment reduction.
The energy savings of the Mechatron system, along with the 30% federal investment tax credit for solar installations, and a 5-year MACRS accelerated asset depreciation, results in a rapid 3.5 years ROI for the Kahala Carport investment versus an average seven to nine-year ROI for fixed-tilt canopies.
Elios Solar installed the 200-kWdc array in a multi-story commercial building near the San Francisco Airport. Elie CEO Mehrdad chose the Mechatron tracker for its yield and payback, as well as its install footprint compared to other commercial solar solutions. The array will provide over 90% of the building energy use and will power the building’s first EV charging station.
The M18KD-20 tracker tilt capacity at the site is limited to 20° on the zenith axis in order to limit its platform distance from the parking pavement by at least 9.5 feet as required by Burlingame building codes. Each tracker supports 90 Peimar 72-cell 370-W panels generating a total power of 33.3 kW each; each tracker is connected to 3-phase string inverters from Solectria.
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