Thanks to Europe’s varied terrain, the region’s solar PV market is diverse, with a broad range of needs and requirements. Solar projects contend with a variety of factors such as high wind speeds, large snow loads, and topographic challenges. Pedro Magalhaes, International General Manager of Arctech, says that such a diverse environment requires “a slew of solutions that allow you to adapt to each project need.” As an added complexity, project developers need to navigate not only country-specific rules and regulations, but also European Union directives. These factors all influence the direction of the solar tracker industry, as well.
Arctech’s evolution
Competition in the tracker industry has become increasingly fierce, according to Arctech Chairman Hao Cai. “So we thought about how to evolve from trading a product to trading a whole solution, including products and services. Now we’re challenging ourselves to trade the ecosystem.” In addition to expanding its range of products, Arctech has added installation to its Tracker+ offerings. Cai says the company achieves increased accuracy for customers by using an automated piling robot for the foundation part and an automatic installation robot for the upper structure part.
Cai cites complex scenarios and market evolution as reasons Arctech has moved “beyond the traditional tracker in people’s ideology” to include all-terrain trackers, solar thermal trackers, and cable mounting systems in its Tracker+ platform. The company offers solutions “that are specialized for high wind environments, have snow modes, hail modes, all sorts of things that you can think as a project developer,” Magalhaes adds.
Targeting the European market
According to Cai, Arctech’s cable mounting system is the best fit for the agrivoltaic scenarios in Europe. “You don’t have the post, you just have the cable on the ground,” he says. The company has also developed an intelligent tracking option that uses algorithms to track electricity price fluctuations and power generation data, helping customers maximize the value of the energy generated by their PV systems.
Magalhaes says a generous investment from Arctech’s holding company enabled the establishment of a European headquarters in Madrid and an operations center in Valencia. He said that when Arctech established its European presence, “we actually made sure to include all disciplines of the business, not just sales and engineering.” He noted that the company has localized field operation services, after-sales services, finance, and human resources.
Arctech also founded an R&D center in Spain, close to Madrid, while setting up the Arctech Verification Base in Puertollano as a dedicated platform for testing and validation. Cai says, “Nowadays, we have all kinds of data, so the future is all about algorithms for trackers.” Together, these R&D facilities enable the company to explore advanced algorithms, leverage real-world data, and develop smarter tracking strategies to maximize energy yield for customers.
Cai says Arctech is building on its strong market share in MENA and India as it grows in Europe, Latin America, Australia, and other parts of Africa. “We’re dedicated to investing more into customizing for local regulations and requirements,” Cai adds. “We’ve faced these very market-specific scenarios in MENA and are confident we can maintain this strength in other regions as well.”
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