The recently commissioned 170-MW_DC Bartonsville Energy Facility solar project has been hailed by Virignia’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) as a model of environmental stewardship. This array was able to avoid environmentally disruptive grading of rural sites and less steel at a structural level using Nevados‘ All Terrain Tracker, a single-axis solar tracker.

The Governor’s Environmental Excellence Awards, an annual program run the DEQ in partnership with the Department of Conservation and Recreation, has recognized the Bartonsville Energy Facility partners — MYR Energy Services, D.E. Shaw Renewable Investments (DESRI) and Nevados — as gold medal winners in the Environmental and Sustainable Project category.

This award acknowledges initiatives that exceed regulatory requirements to improve the environment and promote sustainability. Nevados’ All Terrain Tracker features adaptive articulating bearings that enable it to follow the existing terrain over slope changes of up to 26% at every foundation. It’s designed to eliminate or reduce the need for grading, simplifying stormwater management and reducing the scope of permitting. To date, Nevados has executed all of its projects successfully without requiring any grading for the trackers, the company stated in a press release.

“Our All Terrain Tracker represents a significant advancement in solar development, enabling us to utilize solar energy without disrupting the natural landscape,” said Yezin Taha, CEO of Nevados. “By adapting to the terrain, our technology eliminates the need for grading, preserving the land.”

The Bartonsville Energy Facility is located in the northern tip of Virginia near Winchester. An independent analysis by civil consulting firm Sierra Overhead Analytics reported that the Nevados All Terrain Tracker eliminated the need to move more than 400,000 cubic yards of soil there, equivalent to 123 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The avoided earthmoving and steel each saved the Bartonsville project approximately $2.5 million, according to Nevados, for a combined savings of $5 million.

News item from Nevados