Concentrated PV

Dave Westphal, Executive Director SunSteer and Luis Canales, Director Global External Affairs Nexteer Automotive speak to PV Insider about how their automotive expertise has gained them an edge in the solar tracking business.

Q: Nexteer Automotive is a global automotive supplier. What are some of the synergies the company has brought to the solar energy sector on the technology, manufacturing and materials/coatings sides of your first product, the SunSteer solar tracking actuator?

A: Luis Canales:  A: Nexteer has been in business for more than 100 years and applied its industry leading engineering and manufacturing expertise to the development and production of SunSteer. Building on the knowledge and technology used for the company’s electronic power steering systems, SunSteer requires no hydraulic fluids and provides high mechanical load capabilities.

Because SunSteer uses similar components from Nexteer’s EPS systems, the levels of testing and validation, all done under one roof, are unprecedented in the solar industry. This allowed for SunSteer to deliver world-class reliability and performance. 

Q: Your tracking actuator uses a precision built, high-efficiency ball screw/ball nut combination that claims to provide operating efficiencies of up to 95 per cent. If you had to quickly pitch to prospective clients how this works and the cost-benefit analysis of your product what would you highlight?

A: Dave Westphal: Another advantage of using a SunSteer Linear Actuator, beyond our world-class reliability, is the ultra-high efficiency ballscrew/nut.  This assembly utilizes 89 re-circulating balls, a massive 1.28” ballscrew, and is lubed for life.  It is tested in some of the harshest automotive conditions imaginable.  It draws extremely low current during operation which translates into less heat generated and ultimately far less energy used than any of our benchmarked competitors. 

Q: In a span of just a couple weeks this past June the company launched its first renewable energy product and made some significant senior management changes. Chairman Guibin Zhao added CEO to his title, supporting his role of providing strategic direction for the company, while Chief Operating Officer Laurent Bresson also became president. And while Robert J. Remenar decided to step down as president and CEO of Nexteer to pursue another opportunity in the industry, he will remain on the Nexteer board of directors. How have you been able to keep prospective clients’ and existing investors confidence in your management team’s ability to target a new sector and keep the company in good financial footing?

A: Luis Canales: A: A good majority of our senior management team has been with Nexteer, and previously with Delphi, for many years. That includes our president, Laurent Bresson who helped guide the company through our restructuring and sale back in 2010. In addition, with the support and capital assistance from our owners, Pacific Century Motors, Nexteer is well positioned to continue its current path of record customer bookings and global growth and investment. 

The entire leadership team at Nexteer has a clear vision and plan to sustain this growth and investment and this helps instill a sense of confidence and stability not only with prospective clients, but current clients and Nexteer employees, too.

Q: The SunSteer product is built in the US, with more than 90 percent US content and greater than 50 percent of its content produced in Michigan, including the Great Lakes Bay Region. While this is excellent news for the US job market, how can the company remain competitive compared to other solar tracker companies in terms of labor costs and pension benefits?  

A: Luis Canales: Nexteer has called Saginaw home since 1906 where we have developed, engineered, tested, validated and manufactured industry leading steering and driveline components from this location. 

We have great working relationships with our union and manufacturing workers and this has given us the ability to make a strong business case for continued investment and increased production in Michigan.

We are proud that SunSteer was developed and is manufactured in Saginaw and this product fits perfectly into the Great Lakes Bay Region’s economic development partnership that focuses on the regional development of comprehensive solar solutions and manufacturers. Because of this commitment, it has been coined the “Solar Valley” thanks to the highly-skilled and dedicated workforce and resources. 

Q: With positioning accuracy of less than one degree, the SunSteer product claims to provide a highly cost effective solution to photovoltaic (PV), concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) and concentrated solar power (CSP) projects. Of the PV and CPV markets, which has shown the most promise so far and why? And will either see a spike in more tracker sales activity based on any industry projections you and your team have come across?

A: Dave Westphal:  PV is more popular in the Midwest region and therefore has been our main business focus.   We recently attended the CPV Summit in San Jose and are now involved in several potential projects in that market.  Either way, it will be interesting to see how these two rival markets shake-out.