Arctech is ranked the number one solar tracker supplier in the APAC region and a top-five solar tracker supplier in the Australian market. Based on these achievements, what is your strategy for the Australian market?
Wenhua: Arctech has a two-part strategy for the market. Our product strategy focuses on creating products that satisfy our clients’ requirements regarding extreme weather conditions. For example, in areas with high wind speeds or flooding, our SkyLine II multiple-slew drive tracking system has higher stability and a lower panel pressure because it can stow at low tilt. And in hail risk areas, our SkyLine II single-slew drive system can stow at high tilt. Besides this, we are developing the SkyLine III, which combines the advantages of the other versions.
Furthermore, we plan to build a training centre for all our products launched in the Australian market, and we plan to hold multiple product promotion events. These actions aim to help our clients become better trained and more familiar with our products.
How has the SkyLine II improved upon the design of its predecessor?
Wenhua: SkyLine II has a multiple-point drive system that has reduced the piles required by our innovative torque tube design and stow strategy. Additionally, we pre-assemble most of the connecting parts at the factory, enabling us to reduce both installation time and labor costs. This will be an advantage for us in Australia because of the high local labour costs. Also, we are moving to rivets instead of bolts to attach the modules, and we provide a special installation tool for construction teams to use, which reduces installation time.
Image: Arctech
Solar projects in Australia have to contend with harsh conditions including strong winds, flooding rains, and areas with corrosive soil and air. How do Arctech’s solar trackers handle these challenges?
Wenhua: Our SkyLine II tracker is a one-in-portrait (1P) multiple-slew drive single-axis system that stows at low tilt and is designed for high wind speeds and heavy rainstorm areas, as well as for the trend toward larger-format modules, which experience more force. The design increases torsional stiffness by reducing torsional free length, which creates greater stability.
Additionally, since it stows at low tilt, the panel pressure on our system is smaller compared to those that stow at high tilt at the same wind speed. This provides a lower reaction force for the foundation design, which reduces cost and installation time for the foundation.
For hail areas, our SkyLine II single-axis tracker is the best choice because it can stow at high tilt to protect the panel from hail damage. And we can provide zinc-alu-magnesium coating, hot galvanized zinc coating, and foundation solutions to solve problems in high corrosion areas.
What technological advancements are featured in Arctech’s new commercial energy storage cabinet?
Holden: One of the key things that Arctech has done with Estotech is develop solutions internally, specifically for the power control system board, battery management system, and online energy management system (EMS). Nautech Group is an engineering company that develops electronics, and from our perspective, being able to see a company developing products themselves instead of outsourcing it to others was something that gave us a great deal of confidence. They’ve developed solutions that fit projects from residential to utility-scale, and their testing facility in Shanghai is very impressive.
Image: Arctech
How does Arctech help solve customer concerns in relation to data security?
Holden: Nautech Group deals with emergency services and government departments, so we are very concerned with security. One of the questions that I posed to the Arctech team was around data integrity and where the data is stored. Their EMS can be stored either within Amazon Web Services (AWS) or as a local system in its own right with no internet connection. This means the EMS can be completely offline, outside of China and outside of AWS, to meet any government requirements.
The questions and responses in this sponsored interview article were provided by Arctech.
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