Training facility teaches tracker assembly and installation

Construction workers, engineers and designers can now attend a training program to learn to assemble and install SPG Solar’s SunSeeker single-axis tracker, which orients the solar panels toward the sun to maximize solar efficiency. The Technology and Training Center at Depot Park in Sacramento, Calif. recently opened to simplify the process for those assembling and installing SPG Solar’s tracker.

"The goal of the facility is to help people develop the proper technical skills for installation, so crews can hit the ground running once they're in the field and on the clock,” said Doug May, CEO of SPG Solar in a press release.

The training center is the first of its kind for the company, said Marissa Muller, a spokeswoman with the company.

SPG solar was founded in 2001, but early on the company realized it wanted to focus on commercial and is now 100 percent commercial, Muller said. In 2006 the crux of the company became engineering, she said. The company designed a tracker for its commercial work, but began to get calls from businesses asking if it was available externally. A year ago the company launched a tracker externally. The training facility, which has been up and running for about a month in Sacramento teaches people how to efficiently assemble the device. About 50 people from 10 different companies have gone through the training.

“People roll up their sleeves and people really get in there,” Muller said of the training.

“We constructed the new facility to display our simplified seven-step install process, allowing solar developers and construction firms he opportunity to build he system from start to finish,” May said in the press release.

It gets people comfortable with the technology and improves efficiency in the field.

“When the clock is on, time is ticking and time is money,” Muller said.

The center is part of SPG Solar’s mission to have the lowest install costs and highest quality single-axis tracker on the market a press release said. The SunSeeker tracker was engineered to be installed quickly and perform under any condition. The system follows the sun throughout the day to maximize solar energy production.

SPG Solar also will use the training center for testing. It recently completed a 50-year lifecycle test which proved the tracker can handle the elements while keeping the components fully operational.