Mechatron

Why Choose Mechatron?

Proven Reliability

>99% in-service time

Mechatron Trackers have proven themselves for 20 years in hot, cold, rainy, and dry climates. They adapt to wind and snow, making them suitable for our Canadian winters.

Hydraulic Drive System

You will find the the world littered with 2-axis trackers that are pointing in odd directions and no longer are tracking. Most use gears and motors and encoders to position the array. These wear and become less reliable over the years. Gears can be stripped or array damage done by a sudden gust of wind. Mechatron uses hydraulic drives with clutches. Wind gusts will move the array rather than cause damage. The intelligent software simply returns it to its correct position.

Rugged and Durable Mechanical Design

The M18kD uses a mechanical framework with a large designed-in safety factor. It can support the weight of a foot of snow and withstand category 1 hurricanes. The nine columns of solar panels are independently attached so that standing waves, which can damage some ground mount systems, do not occur. Hot dipped galvanized components prevent corrosion. Intelligent sensors dump snow and reduce platform tilt in high winds.

Easy to Install and Maintain

The M18kD is delivered as a complete kit

Each system includes the main body frame, the mechanical support structure that attaches to it, and even the bolts, nuts, hinges, and even the required fasteners to attach solar panels to the platform.

Assembly is convenient and easy.

The tracker frame sits on four legs on the ground during assembly, making all tasks easy and safe. How easy? One person singlehandedly assembled the first Mk18D tracker in Canada. The complete electronics/hydraulics control cabinet is fully assembled at the factory so you only need to connect the supplied hydraulic hoses and make electrical connections. The hydraulic drive unit is delivered complete and ready to lift onto the pedestal.

The pedestal

The pedestal in the photos is a concrete ballast. Complete design drawings for the concrete, rebar and attachment bolts are provided. Other pedestal options including piles can be chosen to accommodate local soil conditions and special applications.

Small Footprint

Many applications for solar do not accommodate a large array of ground mounted panels. Our gallery images illustrate this point. The estate, the cattle farm, and the urban parking lot are examples of applications that are best implemented, or could only be implemented, with the small footprint and reliability of Mechatron trackers.

Maintenance and Spares

Maintenance costs are low throughout the twenty year warranted life of the tracker. An annual inspection of the hydraulic hoses plus the lubrication 5 grease nipples is recommended. Spare parts should include hydraulic hoses and fluid. A brake pad may need replaced after a few years in very windy climates. Otherwise, as owners say, it just runs.

Support

Real time information for each tracker is available to you or your control room via a web link. You can see the vertical and horizontal position of the platform. You can control the tracker and issue commands from a computer terminal for testing and maintenance activities. Mechatron can view your tracker, run factory tests, and offer assistance.

Photo Gallery

Two axis solar tracking array with 90 panels on an estate. In the background is a large home. Beyond

This is the first Mechatron Mk18D 2-axis solar tracker in Canada. It carries ninety 390 watt bifacial Canadian Solar panels and is rated at 35 kwDC. Hoymiles quad microinverters deliver 35kwAC to cables in underground conduits to the house. The system covers electricy, home heating, and Electric Vehicle requirements to leave the home with zero utility and automobile fuel costs

Partially assembled 2-axis solar tracker platform and concrete pedestal with drive unit on it.

You can see a stepladder in the background of this partially assembled Mechatron tracker platform. This is the first system in Canada but one of almost three thousand around the world. To the left of the platform is the concrete pedestal with the hydraulic drive unit bolted to it. A crane will lift the finished platform, weighing approximately 6,000 kg including panels, onto the drive unit. Af

Some of the ninety solar panels to be mounted on tracker platform. Panels and support beams are vis

The first solar panels have been attached to the 33 foot long purlins. Each pair of purlins supports ten panels that are attached with supplied c-clamps. The treed surroundings do cause some shadowing at sunrise and sunset but the black spruce, fir, and occasional hardwood do not grow tall in this Atlantic Ocean climate.

Four 90 panel solar tracker arrays in farm setting. Cattle and barn are visible behind the arrays.

This application shows an agricultural setting. Note the cattle behind the upper three arrays. Solar can provide lower cost electricity and cleaner energy to supplement the grid. In on-grid settings, solar plus a Battery Energy Storage System can further reduce power and power utility demand charges. In off-grid situations, fuel consumption can be reduced significantly.

Rear of solar tracker with bifacial panels in winter snow. Tracker is mounted on concrete pedestal.

In Canadian winters, bifacial panels provide a significant benefit when there is snow on the ground. As well, the panels will output more power when they are at lower temperatures.

Ninety panel solar tracker platform at 30 degrees from vertical. Winter snow is on the ground.

The Tracker platform will dump snow when tilted to an angle of 45 degrees or more. This gives it a significant advantage over fixed panels that can be obscured by snow for days after a winter storm. The panels face the sun, so their black surfaces quickly melt any adhering ice on a sunny or partially sunny day.

Green Atlantic Reps