Windpower Engineering and Development 2022 Renewable Energy Handbook December 2021

TOP PRODUCTS

Solar Power World editors pick the top products of 2021 While

not completely back to “before COVID” times, this past year has felt like a return to normal solar installation activity. Projects are still going ahead, now with extra focus on product improvements that lend toward more remote accessibility and less downtime.

There’s also more attention being paid to energy storage for power independence, accelerating a market already on the edge of mainstream acceptance.

There were a lot of new product announcements made quietly in 2021, for lack of the fanfare often associated with

launching new products at tradeshows and conferences.

Solar Power World editors kept track of everything and picked our favorite new products for the U.S. market from the past year. We are excited and eager to see products inperson at tradeshows in 2022, so here’s a collection of what we’ll be quick to check out.

These are just a few of our favorites, so be sure to visit our website for an even more extensive list of the top products of 2021.

Ground-mounted solar goes low-profile AS S E E N I N A E R O CO M PAC T ' S CO M PAC TG R O U N D

Ground-mounted solar arrays have traditionally used a racking structure that elevates solar modules several feet or higher from the ground. It’s a tried-and-tested method for installing solar, but for a number of reasons — like zoning regulations, material costs or even neighbors who disapprove of seeing solar — customers might decide they’d prefer racking with a lower profile. If the roof is out of the question, there are smaller solar racking options for the ground that are similar to those found on flat rooftop systems.

Austrian solar structure manufacturer Aerocompact developed CompactGround, a lowprofile racking solution. At its highest, CompactGround has a 40-cm gap between the panel and the ground. That condensed footprint and lower profile also brings the benefit of reduced wind exposure. In the midst of supply chain issues for the industry, Aerocompact is offering a racking solution with lower shipping and material costs.

The company claims up to 1 MW of CompactGround racking can fit in a single truckload.

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SOLAR POWER WORLD // 2022 RENEWABLE ENERGY HANDBOOK

The system can be installed in south-facing or eastwest orientation. It’s secured to the ground using either ballast blocks or ground screws and doesn’t require heavy machinery for installation. CompactGround’s flexible footing allows it to adapt to uneven ground surfaces. Aerocompact designed CompactGround to be quickly deployed, using only three primary components that make it ideal for temporary installation scenarios. It works for kilowatt-sized and larger-scale buildouts, promising higher output in the same footprint of a traditional solar ground-mount project.

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