The Spain-based multinational firm MECASOLAR, specialising in the design and manufacture of solar trackers, fixed structures for ground- and roof-mounted installations, and foundation screws for large solar PV installations, has signed an important agreement with ACCIONA ENERGY OCEANIA to supply the fixed structure to be installed in Australia's largest solar farm, located in Royalla, near Canberra. The farm's capacity will amount to 24MWp.

The company began supplying the PV products to the Australian solar farm in late August, and delivery will be completed in December. This project is an ACCIONA ENERGY OCEANIA's turnkey service for FOTOWATIO RENEWABLE VENTURES (FRV).

The MECASOLAR fixed structure can be installed on all types of ground and sizes, facilitating and reducing transport and assembly costs with a robust, versatile and cost-effective product.

The farm in Australia will use a two-post structure carrying two modules in portrait layout, treated with a hot-dip galvanising method and allowing for fast assembly. Given the characteristics of the ground, the developers chose the micropile anchoring system that supports the structure posts.

MECASOLAR had participated in previous solar projects in Australia, where it has supplied 300kW in dual-axis trackers so far. Owing to its geographical location, Australia is not easy to reach but even so, MECASOLAR operates as a highly competitive company in this market.

The firm expects its 2015 sales in Australia, including the Royalla project, to represent 8% of its international total turnover. At the Marketing Department they say, 'Oceania is a big strategic market to us, and we're already well-established there.'

In the first half of 2013, MECASOLAR hit a record high of 400MW solar trackers supplied to and installed in solar farms in more than 40 countries.

Although Europe has traditionally been the firm's 'natural' market, the trend is expected to change in the foreseen future, since by 2015, 200MWs more will have been added to the 400MWs that have been installed to this day. In 2015, company sales in America are expected to increase from 23% to 43%; in Asia they are to grow from 1% to 12%; in Africa, from 1% to 10%, and finally, in Oceania, from 6% to 8%.

As for Europe, a downward trend is expected: MECASOLAR's turnover is to drop to 27% from today's 69%, as a result of changes in regulations in the region. 'These figures can be explained by our bet on strategic markets such as USA, Mexico, Chile, Peru, Brazil, Australia, South Africa and India, among others, where we're currently operating,' said sources at MECASOLAR.