200 MW Garland plant tracks the sun with Array Technologies

Signal Energy announced its 200 MW Garland Solar Facility is now producing energy, in part because of the robust system that allows it to track the sun across the sky.

Located on 2,000 acres of desert in Kern County, California, the Garland Solar Facility will generate sRECs that will be sold sold under two long-term power purchase agreements with Southern California Edison (SCE).

The project is comprised of 723,000 Canadian Solar high performance CS6X-P photovoltaic (PV) solar modules mounted on single-axis tracking tables manufactured by Array Technologies (ATI).

Construction on the project began in 2015 and created 572 peak construction jobs, with 51 percent of employees from communities located within 50 miles of the project. In addition to the temporary employment boost, the project will generate approximately $25.7M in tax revenue for Kern County and $16.9M in tax revenue for the state of California.

Operating conditions in the desert require equipment that can accommodate wide temperature swings and blowing sand, which made ATI’s DuraTrack HZ v3 single-axis trackers the perfect system to hold the project. After all, the trackers’ gear boxes are fully lubricated and sealed-for-life. The company also says the trackers require no maintenance over its expected 30-year lifespan.

The trackers are also engineered to withstand temperatures that range from  -30°F to 140°F (-34°C to 60°C).