Rocklin Solar Tracker Test, a joint effort

Inspired Solar Technologies chooses Rocklin-based William Jessup University for test site 

Rocklin, Calif.- Inspired Solar Technologies (IST), a leading developer of tracking systems for the solar power industry and William Jessup University (WJU), a WASC accredited private four-year university, along with the City of Rocklin Community Development Department are pleased to announce that IST”s ArrayBotTM solar tracker has been installed on the WJU campus for a one-year beta test.

IST”s innovative new ArrayBotTM solar trackers combine proven hydraulic actuators with patent pending feed-forward motion control systems to produce tracking solutions designed to deliver an unmatched combination of strength, reliability, accuracy, and cost-effectiveness. 

⤥ Summer Fun Starts Here ⤦

⤥ Summer Fun Starts Here ⤦

⤥ Summer Fun Starts Here ⤦

⤥ Summer Fun Starts Here ⤦

Solar trackers play an important role in helping the solar power industry reach ‘grid parity’, where solar energy costs meet or beat legacy energy generation technologies, because they optimize the output of solar panels by keeping them on a precise axis with the sun throughout the day. 

Founded by successful industrial imaging pioneer, Kenneth W. Oosting, whose DVT SmartImage Sensor took the industrial automation market by storm, IST recently recruited business veteran James E. Green to become CEO and help guide the company’s anticipated growth. ‘When I learned of the innovations going on at IST, I knew I had to be part of seeing these great products come to market,’ explains Green. ‘The test system at WJU marks another very exciting step.’ 

The prototype system stands twenty-one feet tall and occupies a small footprint on the beautiful 128 acre campus of William Jessup University at 333 Sunset Blvd in Rocklin, CA, just off Highway 65. ‘As a university, we encourage new thoughts and bold innovative ideas,’ said Joe Womack, Jessup’s Vice President for Advancement. ‘The opportunity to partner with IST and the City of Rocklin serves as a practical paving ground to achieve that process.’ 

After months of rigorous testing in the IST research and development center, IST determined the ArrayBotTM was ready to move outside, under the sun, for its final testing phase. With WJU on board, IST reached out to the City of Rocklin Community Development Department to establish their joint cooperation. ‘South Placer and particularly Rocklin are known as a community for alternative energy entrepreneurs to find local talent and local businesses to allow creativity to occur,’ says Rocklin Assistant City Manager, Terry A. Richardson.   

Technical Aspects of the Test:

The beta test will measure the ‘follow accuracy’ of the ArrayBotTM with respect to the position of the sun throughout the solar day, in order to confirm the mathematical formulas to ensure the highest degree of accuracy and precision. A sophisticated Vision System will assist in these tests.

The ArrayBotTM encoders will also be examined to demonstrate that the ‘feedforward and feedback’ mechanism is operating and communicating correctly. The encoders allow the tracker to rearrange its position with mathematical precision; pointing the solar panels to capture and transfer the highest level of solar energy to the electrical grid.

Designed to operate in harsh conditions with wind gusts of up to 60 mph, tests will prove the hydraulic actuators and at least three points of stabilization give the ArrayBotTM the ability to recover under high stress situations and continue optimizing electricity production. For the final test, a 1600 square foot solar array will be placed on top of the 21 foot high ArrayBotTM and deliver free solar energy to the electrical grid.

About Inspired Solar Technologies

Inspired Solar Technologies™ (IST) is the developer and manufacturer of the ArrayBot™ brand of innovative solar trackers. The unique, patent pending design combines proven hydraulic actuators and patent pending feed-forward motion control systems to produce a strong, reliable, accurate and cost-effective product. The ArrayBot™ enables concentrating photoVoltaic (CPV) modules, silicon-based photovoltaic modules (PV), concentrating solar thermal power (CSP) systems, and sterling engine systems to accurately track the sun throughout the day for the purpose of generating electricity. The strength and accuracy of the ArrayBot™ makes it an ideal solution for large-scale applications where reliability, dependability and ease of maintenance are essential. IST is dedicated to enabling solar energy technology to become a leading alternative energy resource.