By Nidhi Dua
India’s renewable energy sector continues to chart an impressive growth trajectory, with solar power playing a central and increasingly dominant role. As of July 2025, the country’s cumulative installed solar power capacity stood at approximately 119.02 GW, making solar the largest contributor to the renewable energy mix. With the expansion of the solar sector, demand for complementary technologies such as solar trackers has also increased. These systems orient photovoltaic (PV) panels to follow the sun’s path across the sky, thereby maximising solar energy capture throughout the day as compared to fixed-tilt systems. While solar tracker technology gained global traction around 2010, its adoption in India accelerated around 2016-17 and is expected to rise further with continued technology advancements and cost improvements.
A look at the latest market trends and technological developments in the solar tracker segment…
Tracker types and specifications
Solar trackers play a critical role in enhancing energy output, particularly in large-scale, ground-mounted projects. Some of their key components include a tracking algorithm, a control unit and a driving mechanism. Based on their design, they are classified by axis, drive and control method.
- Tracking axis: Based on their axis of movement, solar tracking systems can be categorised as single-axis tracking systems or dual-axis tracking systems. Single-axis tracking systems adjust the position of solar panels along one axis, horizontal or vertical. Dual-axis tracking systems track the sun’s movement on two axes, horizontal and vertical, enabling greater energy capture than single-axis or fixed-tilt systems.
- Tracking drive: The tracking drive determines how the panels are physically adjusted to follow the sun. Active trackers use motors (electric or hydraulic) to adjust the panel position. They are precise but require power and maintenance. Passive trackers use thermal expansion of fluids to move panels. They are simpler and low maintenance but less accurate. Manual trackers have panels that are adjusted by hand. They are low-cost but labour-intensive and less efficient, best suited for small-scale set-ups.
- Tracking control: Tracking control in solar trackers is classified into open-loop, closed-loop and hybrid-loop control. Open-loop control operates based on pre-programmed data without using any sensor feedback. Closed-loop control uses real-time sensor feedback to adjust the panel’s position for maximum sunlight. Hybrid-loop control combines both methods, using programmed data with sensor corrections for improved accuracy and reliability.
Key players
The Indian solar tracker market is witnessing increasing consolidation, with a few major players dominating project deployments across the country. As utility-scale solar installations continue to grow, tracker manufacturers are ramping up their presence and capacity to cater to the rising demand.
Arctech is among the leading solar tracker companies in India, with manufacturing facilities in India and the Middle East. The company caters to regional demand and supports large-scale solar projects both domestically and internationally.
Nextracker is another dominant player in the market. It recently surpassed 10 GW of solar tracker deployments in India. Earlier, in May 2025, the company signed a 305 MW solar project with ReNew at Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh.
GameChange Solar is a leading manufacturer of fixed-tilt and tracker solar racking systems in India. The company closed financial year 2025 with total order bookings of 7 GW. Of this, nearly 2 GW of tracker orders were signed in the fourth quarter of financial year 2025. Furthermore, the company recently secured an order to supply its Genius Tracker solutions to Sterling and Wilson Renewable Energy for a 750 MWp PV plant in the Khavda Solar Park in Gujarat.
Apart from these major players, several other companies are expanding their presence in the tracker space. Notable among them are Tata Power Solar, Asun Trackers, Scorpius Trackers and KP Green Engineering. These companies are contributing to the indigenisation of tracker solutions, driving cost efficiencies and strengthening the local supply chain. Going forward, technological innovation, local manufacturing and competitive pricing will drive growth and create opportunities for both established and new players.
Cost-benefit analysis
Industry experts believe that incorporating single- or dual-axis trackers can improve the plant’s overall generation by approximately 15-20 per cent, depending on factors such as tracker design, site location and terrain. This increased efficiency, however, comes with higher upfront and maintenance costs, as well as added design complexities. Additionally, solar tracker projects require larger installation areas with increased inter-row spacing to prevent shading of PV modules, further adding to their complexity.
Tracker deployment comes at a premium, typically raising overall project capital expenditure. Single-axis trackers add around Rs 7 million-Rs 8 million per MW, while dual-axis systems increase costs by Rs 10 million-Rs 12 million per MW. In addition, maintenance expenses for tracker-equipped projects are also higher, ranging from about Rs 0.04 million to Rs 0.05 million per MW annually, as per Bridge to India estimates. Land requirements rise as well. While fixed-tilt systems require roughly 3 acres per MWp, projects with trackers require around 5 acres per MWp, adding to overall project costs.
Despite these challenges, the long-term financial benefits of solar trackers can outweigh the initial costs. The increased energy generation from solar trackers can reduce the payback period, with systems potentially recovering costs in seven to eight years, compared to 10 years for fixed-tilt systems. While the initial cost of solar trackers is higher, their enhanced energy production leads to greater long-term savings on electricity bills, making trackers a cost-effective choice over time.
In land-constrained areas, trackers can offer better space utilisation. Although they require more space per MWp, their higher energy output means fewer panels are needed to meet a given energy target compared to fixed systems. This is an advantage when optimising energy generation from a limited or expensive land area.
Technological advancements
Artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to play a transformative role in enhancing the performance of solar tracking systems. By leveraging real-time weather data and predictive analytics, AI can optimise panel orientation far beyond conventional sun-tracking algorithms. Research in this space is already under way. Notably, researchers in India and the US have worked on the development of a hybrid AI-based dual-axis solar tracking system. This innovative model combines convolutional neural networks, long short-term memory networks and reinforcement learning to accurately predict solar irradiance and dynamically control panel positioning.
Building on this, digital twin technology is emerging as another powerful tool for optimising solar trackers. For instance, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE are applying deep learning techniques and digital twin modelling tools to optimise PV tracker control systems for use in agrivoltaics and biodiversity-optimised PV systems. Furthermore, vHive has unveiled an AI-driven digital twin solution for solar farms, enhancing inspection and maintenance with automated, multi-drone data collection. This technology identifies power anomalies, prioritises repairs and boosts efficiency, providing comprehensive management for solar and wind energy assets.
Beyond improvements in digital technologies, tracker design and mechanics are evolving. Terrain-adaptive technology in solar trackers is redefining the way PV systems are deployed, enabling installations on uneven, sloping, or rugged terrain. These systems use flexible mechanical designs and smart algorithms to follow the sun while adapting to natural topography, thereby reducing civil work and preserving soil conditions. A notable example of this innovation is PV Hardware’s Terrain Response system, which is engineered to perform on undulating, rocky and inclined land, reducing the need for earthworks by up to 90 per cent. Integrated with advanced solar tracking algorithms, the system ensures maximum solar exposure and weather resilience for long-term reliability. Similarly, Nextracker’s NX Horizon-XTR offers an all-terrain solar tracking solution tailored for complex landscapes. By minimising the need for heavy civil construction, NX Horizon-XTR helps developers save both time and costs, making it an ideal choice for utility-scale projects on challenging terrain.
Moreover, the integration of bifacial PV modules with solar tracking systems is rapidly gaining traction as a highly effective strategy for enhancing energy yield and reducing the levellised cost of energy. Bifacial modules, which capture sunlight on both the front and rear surfaces, inherently produce more energy than traditional monofacial panels. When combined with intelligent solar trackers, this dual-generation capability is further enhanced through continuous alignment with the sun’s path, ensuring optimal light exposure throughout the day.
Outlook
Solar trackers are rapidly gaining prominence in the PV sector, driven by technological innovation, accurate performance data and improving investor confidence. As their benefits become more evident, developers are increasingly incorporating them into large-scale solar installations. Looking ahead, the solar tracker market is poised to maintain its upward trajectory. Continuous innovations in both hardware and software are improving the intelligence, adaptability and reliability of tracker systems, while the emergence of AI-powered trackers is set to be a game changer.
Also, the application of trackers is expanding beyond traditional utility-scale solar projects. Agrivoltaics, which integrates solar generation with agricultural activities, is emerging as a promising new use case. In such dual-use systems, trackers can be tailored to balance sunlight access for crops and energy production. With continued research and development, trackers may also find applications in floating solar projects.
Despite their higher upfront and maintenance costs, solar trackers offer a compelling value proposition by improving energy output and reducing payback periods. Net, net, with continuous innovations and evolving financing solutions, solar tracking systems are well positioned to significantly enhance India’s solar capacity.
