Ashland Company Opens New Possibilities for Solar Energy
SOUTHERN OREGON BUSINESS JOURNAL
Strackers Provide Maximum Solar Energy with the Smallest Footprint
Southern Oregon has vast solar energy potential, and an Ashland-based company is leading the way with an innovative high-tech solution. With an average of nearly 200 days of annual sunshine and high irradiation levels, the climate is right for solar. The political climate is also as right as ever, with federal tax credits, state rebates and grants reducing system costs by 70% (examples include the US Department of Energy, Energy Trust of Oregon and the Oregon’ Dept of Energy including its recent Climate Resilience Package).
At the local level, cities and local utilities are offering a variety of solar and energy-saving incentives. Programs are available to assist every type of customer who wants to incorporate solar into their energy options— residential, institutional, commercial, industrial and municipal.
Solar photovoltaic (PV) energy production is not a new technology, but it continues to improve in capacity, availability, and affordability. Most of us are quite familiar with rooftop solar installations at homes and businesses, as well as the fields of ground-mounted solar arrays, which are all actively producing renewable energy.
Stracker Solar, an Ashland-based company, has developed an alternative mounting system for solar that opens up spaces where traditional solar hasn’t fit while providing the most efficient PV production available. With its single pole mount, Stracker systems can be installed in various terrains and orientations — from pathways to slopes. Its design allows for solar projects that would otherwise be infeasible due to space constraints or inadequate rooftop size, orientation or load-bearing capacity. Stracker’s flexibility to install on marginal land allows scalability of a new market.