Nevados Engineering Receives $3 Million in State and Federal R&D Funding for Innovative Solar Energy Solutions

U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative and California Energy
Commission Funding to Support Clean Technology Advancement

SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#CEC–San Francisco-based Nevados
Engineering, developer of all-terrain, single axis tracking systems
that improve solar energy project economics, announced today that it is
the recipient of $3 million in awards from state and federal agencies.
The research funds included nearly $2 million from the U.S.
Department of Energy SunShot Initiative and $1 million in matching
funds from the California
Energy Commission (CEC) through its Electric Program Investment
Charge (EPIC) program.

Nevados Engineering, a portfolio company of the Los
Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI), has created a low-cost tracker
to help solar developers build projects without the need for land
excavation or grading. Leaving the terrain undisturbed results in
significantly reduced environmental impact and mitigation. The
terrain-agnostic tracker and control system also enables developers to
use land that typically would not be considered for solar installations,
including slopes of up to 20° in any direction. The state and federal
awards will fund the next 18 months of Nevados’ development activities,
including demonstrating Nevados Engineering’s intelligent tracking
software and reducing manufacturing costs by roughly 50%.

“This is a good example of how state and federal agencies can work
together to support innovation,” said California Energy Commission Chair
Robert B. Weisenmiller. “It is hoped this award will commercialize a
technology that should be able to make projects more cost competitive
while reducing the environmental impact. It is also a good example of
the partnership the Energy Commission has made with the Los Angeles
Cleantech Incubator to bring innovative clean energy technologies to the
marketplace.”

Through its previous 2015-16 SunShot award, Nevados Engineering
designed, built, and is now testing full-scale rows of the tracker
system on simulated rolling terrain. The pilot program, located near
Davis, California, is also testing the newly developed control system
which optimizes, in real time, the energy output of each row of modules.
Bankability and UL studies are near completion and a wind tunnel study
to design for adverse wind conditions has been completed. The pilot of
four rows of 20 modules each has been operating over the last year and
is exceeding expectations, according to the company.

“The world is not flat,” remarked Yezin Taha, Nevados Engineering
Co-Founder & CEO, in a presentation to stakeholders. “More than one
billion dollars was spent last year alone to flatten land for solar
development projects. Our solution not only alleviates the tremendous
cost of grading and time intensive construction schedules, but improves
ROI through intelligent tracking and installation on sun-facing slopes.”

Nevados Engineering has also secured a contract for an 8.4 megawatt
utility-scale solar project to commence in 2018. The project is situated
on south-facing slopes, which should provide a substantial increase in
power generation versus conventional flat-land tracker installations.

About the SunShot Initiative

The U.S.
Department of Energy SunShot Initiative is a national effort to
drive down the cost of solar electricity and support solar adoption.
SunShot aims to make solar energy a low cost electricity source for all
Americans through research and development efforts in collaboration with
public and private partners. Learn more at energy.gov/sunshot.

About the CEC EPIC Program

The California Energy Commission’s EPIC program supports innovative
energy technologies and approaches that bring clean energy ideas to
market and that benefit the ratepayers of California’s three largest
electric investor-owned utilities.

About Nevados Engineering

Nevados Engineering, developers of a single axis solar tracker that
allows for ground-based installation on virtually any terrain without
the need for excessive grading, provides solutions to increase power
generation, decrease utility-scale solar project installation costs, and
make solar power an increasingly economically viable source of renewable
energy. The terrain-agnostic tracking solution combines an Intelligent
Control System and proprietary algorithm with a terrain-following
structure to eliminate the need for moving soil. Nevados Engineering is
one of several Los
Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) portfolio companies based in the
Bay Area as part of the organization’s SVCI Silicon Valley satellite
offices. For additional information, please visit: https://nevados.co/

About LACI

The
Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI), a non-profit, public-private
partnership helping promising companies deliver market-ready cleantech
solutions, recently launched Energize
California to support clean energy innovation. LACI combines
capital, universities, research, government support, entrepreneurs,
corporate partners, and business leaders in order to drive innovation
throughout the regional, state, and global economy. Recognized as one of
the most innovative business incubators in the world by UBI, LACI has
helped 65+ companies raise $135M in funding, create 1,500 jobs,
and deliver more than $335M in long-term economic value. LACI operates
out of the La
Kretz Innovation Campus with satellite offices in Northridge, CA and
Silicon Valley. For additional information, please visit: http://www.laci.org

Contacts

The Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI)
Laurie Peters, (818)
635-4101
LACI Communications Director
[email protected]