While a promising step toward sustainability, vehicle-mounted solar panels face a key limitation. These fixed installations can’t follow the sun’s path, reducing energy efficiency throughout the day. This challenge is compounded in urban environments, where buildings and structures create partial shading that further compromise solar generation potential.
This is exactly why CityFreighter, which develops clean urban logistics technologies, designed SolarTrackr — a tracking solar module, maximizing energy capture in applications like mobile homes and recreational vehicles (RV).
SolarTrackr’s successful development represents an advancement in mobile solar technology that has implications beyond its original RV application. Its functionality — made possible by lubrication-free components from igus — offers potential applications for food trucks, which can benefit from reliable, independent power sources and help operators comply with idling restrictions. Here’s an overview of this innovative system, along with the motion plastic components that make it tick.
About the SolarTrackr system
Credit: The Howorths
Originally designed for mobile homes, the SolarTrackr overcomes a fundamental limitation of traditional static solar panels, tracking the sun’s movement throughout the day and optimizing energy capture. Weighing just 47 lbs and compatible with standard 340-W solar panels, the SolarTrackr offers an impressive power-to-weight ratio that makes it suitable for mobile applications, where space and weight considerations are important.
When developing this system, engineers needed durable and low-maintenance components that enable precise movement — a slewing ring for the rotation, lead screws for the lifting and lowering mechanism and plain bearings for the scissor bearings. Because the tracker is used outdoors and is exposed to UV radiation, wind, rain and possible salt air, the components also needed to be weather- and corrosion-resistant.
Advanced lubrication-free motion plastics from igus were a perfect fit for these requirements, enabling the system to precisely adjust panel orientation and maximize solar exposure.
Key igus components in the SolarTrackr
At the heart of the SolarTrackr’s tracking capability is the igus PRT-04 slewing ring bearing, which enables the solar panel to rotate smoothly and precisely in multiple directions without requiring lubrication. For food trucks, this feature is particularly valuable, as it:
- Prevents food contamination concerns associated with lubricants.
- Eliminates the need for regular maintenance in busy food service applications.
- Ensures reliable operation in environments with cooking grease and food particles.
The PRT-04 bearing is also 60% lighter and 50% more space-efficient than previous-generation bearings, making it ideal for mounting on truck roofs where weight and space limitations are significant concerns.
In addition to the PRT-04, the SolarTrackr incorporates 3D-printed igus gears that provide the solar panels with precise angular positioning. These gears make minute system adjustments throughout the day, ensuring optimal alignment with the sun’s position. For food trucks, this precision maximizes energy generation during peak business hours. It also adapts to different parking orientations and optimizes performance in urban environments with partial shading. The wear-resistant properties of igus materials ensure these gears maintain their precision even after thousands of adjustment cycles, providing long-term reliability in applications requiring consistent power generation.
Additional igus components include a stainless-steel trapezoidal lead screw, paired with an iglide J lead screw nut. This combination enables reliable height adjustments under varying weather conditions, while the material’s self-lubricating properties ensure smooth operation without maintenance.
Rounding out the components, iglide plain bearings and thrust washers, which contribute to the system’s structural integrity and durability. The wear-resistant nature of these components ensures long-term reliability, reducing the risk of system failures during business operations.
“The igus components are a critical factor in the success of our SolarTrackr,” says Michael Schoening, CEO of CityFreighter. “Their precision, maintenance-free operation and durability enable us to deliver a reliable, efficient, cost-effective solution.”
Performance benefits for food truck applications
While originally designed for mobile homes and RVs, the SolarTrackr is a good fit for food truck operators, who currently face unique energy challenges. They need reliable power for refrigeration, cooking equipment, lighting and other equipment — often in locations without easy access to grid electricity. Many operators, especially those in major cities, must comply with anti-idling laws that limit how the vehicle can idle their engines when stationary.
The SolarTrackr’s innovative design, powered by igus components, offers a promising solution to these challenges through efficient solar energy capture and utilization. The system achieves higher energy efficiency compared to static solar installations, translating to roughly 25 to 30% more energy capture throughout the day, reducing reliance on fossil fuel generators and decreasing noise and emissions.
Another benefit of the SolarTrackr, thanks to its incorporation of robust igus components, is its exceptional weather resistance, enabling operation in diverse environmental conditions. For food trucks, this durability means reliable operation in coastal areas with salt air exposure, resistance to heavy rain during outdoor events and an ability to withstand temperature extremes during different seasons.
Perhaps the most significant advantage for busy food truck operators is the maintenance-free nature of the igus components. The self-lubricating properties eliminate the need for regular maintenance, reducing downtime, lowering long-term ownership costs and maintaining consistent performance without degradation over time.
For food truck operators — who probably don’t have the expertise to troubleshoot or repair the electromechanical solar array on the roof of their truck — this maintenance-free operation represents a substantial practical benefit.
Reliable solar power
The integration of igus components in the SolarTrackr system creates a robust, efficient and maintenance-free solution for mobile solar power generation. While originally developed for RV applications, the system’s characteristics make it particularly well-suited for food truck operations, where reliable, independent and emissions-free power is essential.
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