Since entering the southeast Asian markets of Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines in 2020, Nextracker has seen growing decarbonisation policy ambitions in the region, including commitments for net-zero targets and policies to enable further deployment of solar.
For the first time, Malaysia and Vietnam are now enabling corporate consumers to purchase power from off-site solar projects by facilitating corporate Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs). Similarly, Indonesia and Thailand have launched feed-in-tariff programs. And, the Renewable Portfolio Standards implementation in the Philippines is creating an uptick in solar project activities.
To date, solar tracker technology has been rare in the Southeast Asia region due to land scarcity and policy issues, however, trackers are expected to become the default selection for large-scale projects to reduce costs and provide increased yield from developments smaller than traditionally seen in other markets.
ERS Energy has selected Nextracker’s smart solar tracker technology, NX Horizon™, to optimise the Neda Pekan Solar Farm’s performance.
“Thanks to Nextracker’s geotechnical expertise, we were able to find a solution to deploy Nextracker’s NX Horizon at our Neda Pekan solar farm,” stated Alex Lum, Executive Director of ERS Energy. “ERS Energy is proud to accelerate the adoption of solar trackers in Malaysia and we chose Nextracker due to its on-time delivery, technical expertise, and trusted high-performing solar tracker technology.”
ERS Energy and Nextracker teams post onsite PowerworX Academy™ installer training course.
The 39 MW Neda Pekan Solar Farm on Malaysia’s east coast is Nextracker’s first project with engineering, procurement, and construction company ERS Energy. The project highlights the use of Nextracker’s patented structural design that enhances the bifacial gains, lowers the Levelized Cost of Energy, and overcomes engineering challenges associated with environmental and on-site resourcing constraints.
ERS Energy mechanical installation of Nextracker’s NX Horizon smart solar tracker.
Located on the east coast of Malaysia, Nextracker will apply its deep expertise in geotechnical engineering to address the Neda Pekan Solar Farm challenging coastal conditions, including the highly corrosive environment and loose sandy soils.
The Neda Pekan Solar Farm is also the first solar park in Malaysia to be developed under the New Enhanced Dispatch Arrangement (NEDA) framework, allowing power producers to supply energy to a single buyer without entering a PPA. The NEDA framework is expected to enhance the local power generation competition and will become the basis of the upcoming corporate PPA market in Malaysia.
Nextracker will supply components with finishes to address the geotechnical conditions. In addition, Nextracker’s engineering team has developed a low-cost pile design that is easy to install with the contractors’ existing equipment.
ERS Energy construction team daily morning safety protocol.
The Neda Pekan Solar Farm adjoins a 155 MWp solar farm, also led by ERS Energy as an EPCC, that serves as a side-by-side demonstration of the benefits tracker performance can bring to the Southeast Asian market.
The project is poised to demonstrate superior financial return on investment in the region and signals the country’s shift toward higher-performance solar plants. The site commissioning is targeted within the next month.
For more information on Nextracker’s technology and work in Southeast Asia, contact PWheale@nextracker.com
For more information on bifacial gains, download the whitepaper here
Peter “Pete” Wheale is the General Manager, Australia, Southeast Asia, and New Zealand. As a first-mover in the market introducing single-axis tracking technology to the solar industry, Pete has built a strong local team and is commercially responsible for establishing Nextracker as the market leader in the country, with over six gigawatts of tracker systems installed on utility-scale and commercial & industrial solar power plants throughout the country.
