Atlas Renewable Energy and Nextracker Inc. have signed an agreement to implement Nextracker's TrueCapture™ technology in Atlas' Vista Alegre solar plant in Brazil. The projectwill have an installed capacity of 902MWp and is set to become the largest solar project to be built in the southern hemisphere. The project will provide sustainable energy to Brazil's major aluminum producer, Albras, under the largest and longest solar power purchase agreement (PPA) signed to date with a private offtaker in Latin America.
With this agreement, Atlas continues to advance the region's solar industry with state-of-the-art technology. TrueCapture utilizes an advanced algorithm-based software solution designed to optimize the energy production of solar power plants. It uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to continually track the sun's position and adjust the angles of solar panels to maximize energy yield. By intelligently adjusting the tilt and position of each solar panel in real-time, TrueCapture is able to mitigate the impact of shading, uneven terrain, and other factors that can reduce energy output.
"Atlas was the first company that introduced TrueCapture to Latin America when we implemented the technology to most of our operating solar fleet," said Iván Jara , Atlas Renewable Energy's Head of Engineering and Construction. He added, "by continuing to implement TrueCapture to the Vista Alegre solar plant, Atlas looks to further improve the overall performance and profitability of this enormous and exciting project, making it one of the most efficient, smartest, and cost-effective in the region. These features allow us to offer more competitive and complete solutions to our clients."
This agreement showcases the latest technological advances in the solar industry, and extends Nextracker's market position in Latin America, working alongside Atlas, one of the region's major clean energy players in the solar industry. With the combined industry expertise in smart solutions from Nextracker and Atlas's use of novel technology like TrueCapture, Atlas's operating solar plants are at the forefront of asset optimization, accelerating the sector's competitiveness in Latin America.
The Vista Alegre project will generate approximately 2TWh/year, equivalent to removing more than 61,800 cars off the streets of Sao Paulo and offsetting approximately 154,000 tons of CO2 emissions per year. This is a major milestone for Atlas and highlights the company's commitment to enhancing large energy consumers' sustainable development in the region.