Tracker manufacturer Nextracker will supply 830 MW of solar tracking power for Phase I of the Janaúba photovoltaic complex, located near the city of Janaúba (MG). When completed, the solar plant will be the largest of its kind in South America. The plant is expected to start operating in early 2022.
Andrade Gutierrez, a company specialized in EPC (contracts comprising engineering, purchasing management and construction of large projects), the generator Elera Renováveis (formerly Brookfield Energia Renovável) are responsible for the construction of the complex.
“We chose Nextracker due to its engineering design, resilience against adverse weather conditions, as well as the proven gains made with its bifacial solution, ultimately, which led us to select the NX Horizon smart solar tracker,” commented Patricio Pavez, general manager of Renewables at Andrade Gutierrez.
“We look forward to working with Nextracker to solidify Brazil’s position as a leader in the solar energy sector in Latin America,” said Beverly Martinez, Technical Vice President of Elera Renováveis. According to the manufacturer, a regional office in Brazil will provide full support to the project with engineering consulting services for construction and commissioning, asset management and advanced data analysis services for preventive maintenance.
“We are honored to work side by side with our partners Elera and Andrade Gutierrez to implement the largest solar tracker project in Brazil. Nextracker’s specialized local team, together with our company’s state-of-the-art solar tracker and software technologies, are expected to ensure this historic project is fully operational,” said Marco Garcia, chief commercial officer and co-founder of Nextracker. .
According to the manufacturer, installation teams will participate in Nextracker's PowerworX Academy installer training program to learn best practices on site and at the company's training center in Sorocaba (SP).
Nextracker is the chosen supplier of photovoltaic system and smart solar tracker technology for some of the world's largest power plants, such as Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, with 1 GW, in the United Arab Emirates; the 838 MW plant, in Villanueva, Mexico, and on the Western Downs, a facility in Queensland, Australia, 460 MW.
Potential of the Brazilian market
Brazil is currently one of the most sought-after solar markets in the Latin American region, in part due to its high levels of irradiation and solar-friendly policies. The country is responsible for more than 8 GW of photovoltaic installations – distributed and centralized generation – to date.
On March 10, the country reached another historic milestone, reaching 5 GW in distributed solar generation. There are approximately 527 thousand UCs (Consumer Units) receiving credits and more than 422 thousand photovoltaic plants installed in around 5,2 thousand Brazilian cities.
