NX Horizon — XTR

The industry’s most advanced all-terrain solar tracker

NX Horizon-XTR™, a new variation of the industry-leading smart solar tracker NX Horizon, breaks the paradigm of “straight-line row” design constraints. NX Horizon-XTR conforms to the natural terrain, generating a series of benefits such as eliminating cut-and-fill earthworks, reducing pier lengths, easing permitting, and ultimately accelerating project construction schedules while saving more than time and money.
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Key Features and Benefits

NX Horizon-XTR, the field-proven solar tracker for rolling terrain with more than 3 GW deployed on multiple continents.

Save on Earthworks

with less grading

Save on Foundation Steel

with shorter pile lengths

Less Soil Re-Seeding

helps maintain topsoil health and native vegetation

Reduce Dust Control

with minimal grading resulting in less module cleaning requirement

Minimize Schedule Risk

by reducing permitting risk and easing environmental concerns

Prevent Soil Erosion

due to grading, topdressing, and hydrology impacts

NX Horizon-XTR: The Key to Unlocking the Value of Challenging Project Sites

Nextracker’s terrain-following solar tracker reduces earthwork, lowers project risk, and simplifies construction on undulating or difficult terrain.

NX Horizon–XTR
Data Sheet

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What People are Saying

Donny Gallagher
VP Engineering, SOLV Energy
“We are seeing more and more projects these days having undulating terrain, and Horizon-XTR allows us to build up and over a hill, without having to flatten it out.”

Nick de Vries
SVP of Technology and Asset Management,
Silicon Ranch
“Horizon-XTR allows us to decouple some of the earthwork that used to be mandatory and allows us to build the best structure for the land as it is now.”

Greg Beardsworth
Senior Director, Product, Nextracker
“Horizon-XTR breaks the long-time tradition of straight-line rows, unlocking major savings in terms of grading and in terms of foundation pile lengths.”

Alex Roedel
Senior Director of Design and Engineering, Nextracker
“Horizon-XTR has an unbelievable response from our customers because not only does it help them save on earthwork and pile length upfront, it also saves them on labor risk management.”

Going Beyond ‘Business as Usual’
for Tough Terrain Conditions

As solar power project opportunities expand into new regions and availability of once-ubiquitous flat land becomes increasingly rare, project developers are turning to sites with sloping and undulating terrain.

Uneven terrain presents unique risks for developers, who must employ costly, environmentally impactful grading and increased foundation steel, which can challenge the economics of otherwise attractive solar projects.

The “business as usual” approach to dealing with undulating terrain includes careful selection of tracker-row locations, performing cut-and-fill grading and increasing foundation pile lengths.

While proven, this approach limits system size, increases construction costs and creates schedule risk.

Accuracy of cost and schedule estimates for grading activities are a known challenge, due to the possibility of unexpected soil conditions, weather delays and re-vegetation challenges.

In addition to cost adders and schedule risk during the construction phase, the soil disturbance from earthwork can introduce soil erosion issues over the lifetime of the project.

Business as Usual

As utility-scale solar expands into regions with complex site topographies and rolling hills, conventional tracking systems are limiting. We must go beyond business as usual.

Most tracker systems require longer foundation piles, extensive grading, or a combination of both to accommodate rolling north-south terrain installations, which all adds up to additional costs, potential delays, and environmental concerns, putting projects at risk.

Raise array, increase pile length
Perform earthwork

With NX Horizon–XTR
Follow the Grade

By following the grade on varied terrain, NX Horizon-XTR breaks the paradigm of tracker rows requiring installation on a single plane. This minimizes earthwork, reduces foundation steel and keeps construction costs and schedules in check.

Not only does NX Horizon–XTR reduce environmental impacts and permitting risks associated with grading land, you can:

 

  • PLAN better by reducing permit risk and improving community acceptance for simpler, faster project approvals.
  • BUILD smarter, SAVE money and reduce schedule delays.
  • And OPERATE efficiently by minimizing land maintenance and remediation costs.

Follow the Grade with NX Horizon-XTR:
Deployed, Field Tested, Proven

Substantially Reduces
Site Grading

Real world example: 120 MW solar plant, Iowa, U.S.

NX Horizon — XTR Savings:

Radically Reduces Foundation Costs Expense

Real world example: 328 MW solar plant, Texas, U.S.

NX Horizon — XTR Savings:
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