Del Dotto Winery in Napa Valley has invested in solar technology that will reduce its electric bill by 95%. The winery will save a projected $3 million over the life of the four recently installed Mechatron Solar dual-axis trackers at the winery’s Caves facility located on St. Helena Highway in California. Six more trackers are planned for a nearby company vineyard. Del Dotto typically consumed nearly 370 MW of electricity per year, which ran up an annual PG&E bill worth $120,000. The Mechatron trackers that began generating energy in November are expected to present a 3-year return on investment, according to Michael Fakukakis, CEO of the company. The new solar system was placed amid a field of 30-year-old vines, scheduled to be replaced with new stock. The footprint of the concrete pillar of the M18KD Mechatron tracker is a mere 10 sq ft, minimizing the impact on land use. The trackers’ single pillar architecture permits dual-land use capability allowing both the winery business and solar harvesting off the same plot of land. Much of the shading from the solar panels will fall on a maintenance road between vine rows. “We selected the Mechatron Solar tracker solution because of the minimal amount of landscape it takes up,” said Mike Burgess, the CFO of Del Dotto. “Scientifically and mechanically, the dual axis is more efficient than the alternative fixed-tilt solar or single-axis solar mounting systems. Common sense tells you that the dual-axis follows the sun better than anything else. I was very impressed when I saw the tracker move. It was quite the sight.” In addition to the Mechatron solar array, Del Dotto is adding a LynxSystems microgrid that will facilitate software management of all its energy use across multiple locations. The LynxSystems Intelligent EMS (energy management system) monitors the facility loads and either sheds load or adds load depending upon the alternate sources running capacity.

Seeking the highest energy density

Dual-axis trackers present the highest energy density of all solar industry mounting designs, among which the Mechatron M18KD is the largest, supporting up to 90 panels. A power generation boost to the new Del Dotto system is the use of 550 W bifacial solar panels, which provide a double-digit increase over standard monofacial panels of the same size and number. The county of Napa limited the upper reach of the trackers at 15 ft for aesthetic concerns for the famous stretch of wineries along St. Helena Highway, clipping a few percentage points off the potential generation of the standard 30-ft high tracker at full operating height. “Counties like Napa are very protective of their land and viewing rights. But there is a 2-ft berm between Highway 29 and the trackers, providing ample visual cover from the highway,” Burgess noted. One key to the adoption of the dual-axis technology from Mechatron, based in Stockton, California, is the combination of federal tax credits, a kicker credit for a system manufactured in the United States, along with a possible rebate from Marin Clean Energy, the green energy electricity provider, noted Burgess. “On a net cash basis, the final cost of the project was 50% of the gross cost,” he said. “We manufacture the M18KD at our Stockton factory in northern California and are proud to be able to say our trackers are made in America, per 2022 U.S. Treasury IRA Domestic Content Bonus Credit specifications” said Ted Ronshausen, commercial director of Mechatron.

About the M18KD Dual-Axis Tracker

The high-yield M18KD tracker generates 40% more energy than ground-mounted solar arrays and 20% more than single-axis arrays. With a single mast the tracker also has the smallest ground footprint in the global solar market, ideal for vineyards, carports and other terrain-constrained sites. Each M18KD tracker supports 90 solar panels with 72-cut cells each, or 72 panels with 144-cut cells each, culminating in a yield of over 43 kW on a single mast. With a ground coverage ratio of up to 50%, the M18KD solution requires only 4 acres per MW of array. The gearless, hydraulic design drives more through 360 degrees of Azimuth rotation and 60 degrees of Zenith inclination. Highly weather-resistant, the M18KD tracker withstands wind gusts of up to 115 mph. The M18KD also withstands snow loads of nearly 35 psf, although snow loads typically are shed using automated snow sensors and motion management software. Using bifacial solar panels, the Mechatron Solar tracker has demonstrated an energy yield boost ranging from 13% in California to 23% in Nova Scotia. The dual-axis M18KD tracker captures more reflected light on the underside of the solar panels than lower fixed-mount and single-axis trackers. It also captures more light than smaller dual-axis trackers that have lower tables. Mechatron Solar has completed a Black & Veatch Bankability Report, as well as UL 3703 certification standard evaluation by Solar PTL. The company’s expanded manufacturing facility now has an annual production capacity of 200 MW of trackers. Tags: commercial and industrial, Mechatron Solar