Solar Tracker Design & Feasibility Software for Utility-Scale PV

BTR Enerji Engineering Team · Published: 29 September 2026 · 4 min read

The BTR Enerji Tracker Simulator evaluates single-axis tracker PV plants at feasibility stage in minutes. Draw your land on the map and the software combines terrain slope, hourly weather data, electrical design and financial assumptions to compare a tracker and a fixed-tilt plant at the same installed capacity.

Terrain-aware 3D backtracking

Standard backtracking assumes flat, evenly spaced rows. Real sites have height differences between rows and slope along the axis, which causes unexpected row-to-row shading in the morning and evening. The software:

• Derives the axis tilt from the north-south slope and the cross-axis slope from height differences between neighbouring rows,
• Models slope-aware backtracking row by row or site-wide, and computes the electrical loss of residual shade at cell-height scale,
• Uses a global elevation model or your own topographic survey (DEM, GeoTIFF or DXF with elevations).

In depth: Terrain-aware backtracking on undulating land.

Hourly energy simulation and bankability

• 8,760-hour simulation with PVGIS typical meteorological year or ERA5 hourly data, using open-source pvlib physics models,
• Bifacial rear-side gain (view-factor model), temperature, soiling, mismatch and cable losses,
• Wind stow: hourly mean wind is converted to a 3-second gust with a gust factor before comparing with the stow threshold,
• P50 / P75 / P90 yield estimates from multi-year inter-annual variability.

Automatic layout and electrical design

• Layout inside your boundary with catalogue tracker tables (1P56, 1P32, 1P28...), boundary setbacks and service roads,
• String length from the site's minimum temperature; each table is an exact multiple of the string,
• Inverter class and count chosen for the target DC/AC ratio, based on the datasheet nominal AC power,
• Distributed string-inverter topology for DC/AC cable lengths and voltage drop.

Automated solar BOM generator

Modules, tracker tables, piles, controllers (TCU/NCU), inverters, DC and AC cables, transformer and substation, SCADA, service roads and site preparation are listed automatically with the analysis. A separate bill of materials is produced for the fixed-tilt alternative.

Solar feasibility and LCOE calculator

Lifetime cash flow, NPV, IRR, LCOE and payback are calculated. The payback of the tracker's incremental investment over fixed-tilt comes from the difference of the two cash flows, together with a price/yield sensitivity matrix.

Engineering deliverables

For projects moving to the quotation stage, our engineering team prepares a layered DXF site plan (table blocks, roads, boundaries), pile coordinates with elevations and an earthwork assessment based on the site survey.

Who is it for?

Developers, EPC contractors and technical advisors working on ground-mounted PV, especially those who need to screen several sites quickly and see early whether a tracker really pays off on a given piece of land.

Frequently asked questions

Is the software free?

Yes. The simulation, comparison and report are free. If you need a binding quotation and detailed engineering for your project, contact our team.

Which weather data does it use?

PVGIS typical meteorological year data by default; if unavailable, ERA5 hourly data via Open-Meteo. P50/P90 uses inter-annual variability from multi-year ERA5 data.

Can I upload my own topographic survey?

Yes. You can upload a DEM, GeoTIFF or DXF with elevations; axis tilt, row-to-row height differences and backtracking are then computed from your data.

Does it replace a detailed PVsyst study?

No. It is a pre-feasibility and decision-support tool. A bankable energy report and construction design require detailed engineering based on site surveys.

The ratios on this page are typical industry ranges and are not binding; exact values are determined by a site-specific analysis.