Nevados Engineering, a photo voltaic tracker producer, inaugurated the current opening of a brand new manufacturing line in Mt. Nice, Texas, with a press occasion on Thursday. Nevados is working with contract producer Priefert Metal to provide its All Terrain Trackers, that are single-axis photo voltaic trackers designed to adapt to undulating topographies.
Priefert is a third-generation household firm that has manufactured metal merchandise like head gates for cattle ranching and different metal merchandise for the agricultural trade. The contract producer sources its metal provide from East Texas. Of the 900 individuals working in Priefert’s Mount Nice manufacturing facility, greater than 100 of them are producing Nevados trackers. Mount Nice has a inhabitants of simply 16,000 individuals.
“We’re pleased with our manufacturing facility with 23 acres below one roof, and our concentrate on high-precision metal manufacturing,” mentioned Rocky Christenberry, Priefert’s VP of producing. “The Nevados concentrate on design innovation in all-terrain trackers makes us nice pure companions.”
Nevados credited launching the brand new manufacturing facility line to the manufacturing increase supplied by the tax credit current within the Inflation Discount Act. The federal laws consists of provisions for torque tubes and structural fasteners discovered on photo voltaic trackers when produced in the USA, and has a bonus tax credit score for utilizing domestically sourced metal.
The photo voltaic trade continues to be awaiting clarification from the IRS on the way to qualify for the home content material bonus present in Part 45X of the IRA, however Christenberry mentioned Nevados trackers will qualify as a result of Priefert maintains full traceability of its metal provide chain.
In accordance with a press launch, Nevados may have contracts to provide trackers to about 1.5 GW of photo voltaic tasks in the USA by the tip of 2023. Jenya Meydbray, CCO of Nevados, mentioned All Terrain Trackers are being shipped throughout the continental U.S., with a rising presence in Northeast states as a result of uneven terrain within the area. All Terrain Trackers are in a position to alter to totally different angles at every structural pile, with bearings that may deal with slope modifications of as much as 15°.
“The photo voltaic trade is out of the simple websites and increasingly more of the websites which can be chosen for photo voltaic tasks are difficult,” Meydbray mentioned. “You’ll be able to both throw a bulldozer at it to maneuver filth or you should utilize Nevados and keep away from that.”
The design alternative to cut back civil work on its trackers aligns with Priefert’s historical past in agriculture. Whereas each neighborhood may not welcome photo voltaic building on farmland – and Christenberry mentioned that’s the case the place he resides – Nevados All Terrain Trackers can forestall undertaking builders from eradicating essential topsoil from photo voltaic websites that might render them unfit for farming indefinitely.
Nevados plans to broaden its manufacturing presence in the USA, however didn’t disclose any instant plans or places. Priefert is anticipated to broaden its current services from 23 acres to 40.
