Nextracker

Last updated
Nextracker Inc.
Company type Public
Headquarters Fremont, California, U.S.
Revenue US$2,959 million (FY2025)
US$639 million (FY2025)
US$509 million (FY2025)
Total assets US$3,192 million (FY2025)
Total equity US$1,628 million (FY2025)
Number of employees
1,300
Website nextracker.com
Footnotes /references
[1]

Nextracker Inc. (NXT) is an American solar tracker manufacturing company based in Fremont, California. [2]

Contents

History

In 2014, Solaria Corporation spun off their tracker technology to create Nextracker, with Dan Shugar as the CEO. [3]

Flextronics purchased Nextracker in 2015 for $330 million. [4] In 2016, Nextracker acquired BrightBox Technologies, Inc., which develops predictive modeling software and machine-learning technologies. [5] This acquisition led to the development and 2017 launch of TrueCapture, an intelligent, self-adjusting tracker control system that continuously refines the tracking algorithm of each individual solar array in response to existing site and weather conditions, delivering 2% to 6% energy gains. [6]

Nextracker expanded to more than 20 U.S. manufacturing lines in Texas, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Tennessee, and Nevada between January 2021 and August 2024. [7] As of March 31,2024, the company’s total global manufacturing capacity was approximately 1,000 MW per week, and supported up to 50 GW of annual shipments. [8]

In February 2023, the company raised $638 million in a U.S. initial public offering, selling 26.6 million shares of Class A common stock at $24 per share, resulting in a corporate valuation of more than $3.5 billion. It debuted on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on February 9, 2023, under the ticker symbol, NXT. [9] [10]

In late 2024, a class action lawsuit was filed against Nextracker and several of its executives, including Dan Shugar, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The complaint alleges violations of federal securities laws, asserting that the company and its leadership made materially false or misleading statements during the class period, which allegedly led to investor losses. The lawsuit claims that the defendants, including Shugar, failed to disclose adverse facts about the company's business and operations, thereby misleading investors. [11]

In 2025, Nextracker established an artificial intelligence and robotics division following three acquisitions in the sector and appointed Francesco Borrelli as its first Chief AI and Robotics Officer. [12] [13]

Technology

As of March 31, 2024, Nextracker had more than 600 patents related to solar tracking hardware systems, including innovations that increase energy yields, reduce costs, and expand tracking system applications. [14] [8]

Solar trackers

The company pioneered decentralized, single-axis trackers that connect each row of solar panels to its own motor and control system. This design allows each solar panel row to move independently to position the panels toward the sun, maximizing energy yield for the entire fleet. [14]

The company’s terrain-following trackers adapt to a site’s natural contours, reducing grading requirements, minimizing environmental impact, and expanding the viability of solar projects on landscapes with extreme terrain. [15]

In 2024, Nextracker introduced tracker technology that uses weather-forecasting data and AI to automatically adjust solar panel angles into a stow mode ahead of hailstorms to avoid direct hits. [16] [17] The product was developed to mitigate the rising cost of insuring solar arrays from hail and other weather-related damage. [18] The same technology is also used to stow panels during grid outages without operator intervention. [15]

Software, controls & training

The company’s software monitors weather conditions, checks for blind spots, and directs the position of individual rows of solar panels to optimize energy yield. [14] A new tracking function added in 2023 adjusts trackers in response to variations in cloud cover across an entire power plant, enabling plants to chase clouds for added gains without compromising tracking performance during clear sky conditions [15]

PowerworX Academy

The company’s PowerworX Academy provides operators of utility-scale solar power plants from around the world with training in tracker installation, commissioning, operations and maintenance. Graduates receive professional development credits from the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners. [19]

Acquisitions and Joint Ventures

2025

In early 2025, Nextracker expanded its artificial intelligence and robotics capabilities through the acquisitions of Amir Robotics, which provides intelligent, water-free robotic cleaning systems, and Onsight Technology, which develops AI-powered visual recognition systems for automated inspection and fire detection at solar plants. These transactions followed the company’s 2024 acquisition of SenseHawk IP. Together, the acquisitions broadened Nextracker’s smart operations and maintenance (O&M) and modeling capabilities. [20] [21] [22]

In May 2025, Nextracker acquired Bentek Corporation, a San Jose–based manufacturer of pre-assembled electrical balance-of-system (eBOS) systems, in a US$78 million cash transaction. Bentek’s products, which collect and transport electricity from solar panels to power-conditioning systems, broadened Nextracker’s technology platform. [23] [24] [25]

That same year, Nextracker and Abunayyan Holding, a Saudi energy company, established a joint venture, Nextracker Arabia, to manufacture and supply solar trackers and control systems for utility-scale and distributed solar projects in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Headquartered in Riyadh, the venture was formed to support Saudi Arabia’s target of installing 130 gigawatts of renewable-energy capacity by 2030. [26] [27]

In September 2025, Nextracker acquired Origami Solar, a Bend, Oregon–based manufacturer of roll-formed steel-frame technology, for $53 million. The acquisition allows Nextracker to shift production of certain solar panel frames from aluminum to steel, which is stronger and more durable. [28] [29]

2024

In 2024, Nextracker acquired solar PV foundations supplier Solar Pile International, located in Leetsdale, Pennsylvania, for US$48 million. The acquisition supports Nextracker’s plans to provide integrated solutions for a broad range of soil conditions at utility-scale projects. [30] [31]

That same year, Nextracker acquired Ojjo, a San Rafael, California-based renewable energy company that specializes in foundation technology and services used in utility-scale solar power projects. Ojjo’s truss systems use half the steel of conventional foundations and are designed to minimize grading requirements in utility-scale projects. The all-cash transaction was valued at US$119 million. [32] [33]

In 2024, Nextracker acquired SenseHawk IP, a developer of AI-enhanced drone technology for high-precision 3D modeling used in solar project planning and construction. [20]

2016

In 2016, Nextracker acquired BrightBox Technologies Inc., a predictive modeling software and machine-learning technologies company. Located in Berkeley, California, BrightBox develops technologies that increase the energy yield of solar projects. [34] [35]

Sustainability and legacy

2025

In 2025, with support from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), Nextracker introduced a foundation solution that uses semi-autonomous drilling to make solar development faster and more feasible on Australia’s toughest terrain. The technology is designed to overcome construction barriers posed by rocky or hard soils, expanding the potential for utility-scale solar development in challenging terrain. [36] [37]

In 2025, Sol Systems completed the 342-MWDC Eldorado Solar project in southeast Illinois. Built in partnership with Nextracker and SOLV Energy, the project combines utility-scale solar with row-crop agriculture—and is considered one of the early row-crop agrivoltaics projects at this scale in the United States. Through a collaboration with the American Farmland Trust, Kernza, a perennial grain, will be cultivated beneath a portion of the solar array. [38] [39]

In 2025, Nextracker teamed with the University of California Berkeley Engineering (UC Berkeley) to establish the CALNEXT Center for Solar Energy Research. The Center will prioritize technologies to enhance power plant performance and operations, with the hopes of increasing the expansion of utility-scale solar. Nextracker contributed a $6.5 million gift to support the initiative. [40] [41]

2023 and 2024

In April 2024, Nextracker introduced a solar tracker system with a carbon footprint that is up to 35% lower than traditional trackers. The low-carbon tracker system, which is produced with an electric arc furnace manufacturing process and uses recycled steel, received the Carbon Trust Product Carbon Footprint Label certification. [42] [43]

In 2023 and 2024, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) teamed with Nextracker to advance PV tracker reliability during severe weather events. The company built two self-powered PV tracking systems that were deployed at NREL’s National Wind Technology Center in Golden, Colorado for a large-scale study on the impact of severe weather on the equipment. [44]

In 2023, Nextracker partnered with Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled to install solar PV systems at Government Primary Health Centres in Kondapur and Atmakur, both located in Sangareddy district of India. These 6 kW PV systems donated by Nextracker help bring healthcare services to 50,000 underserved residents in the region. [45]

2022

In 2022, Nextracker partnered with Flex Instituto de Tecnologia to launch the Brazil Center for Solar Excellence, South America’s largest solar tracker research and development facility. Located in Sorocaba, Brazil, the research center, test lab, and training facility addresses every stage of a solar tracker system’s lifecycle. [46]

References

  1. https://investors.nextracker.com/news/news-details/2025/Nextracker-Reports-Q4-and-Fiscal-Year-2025-Financial-Results/default.aspx.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. Deffenbaugh, Ryan (2024-02-01). "NXT Stock: Why Solar Stock Nextracker Is Surging Today". Investor's Business Daily. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  3. Weirich, Tom (22 September 2022). We Took the Risk: The Stories Behind the Early Risk Takers in the U.S. Renewable Energy Industry and the Leadership Traits that Made Them a Success. Potomac, Maryland: New Degree Press. pp. 235–246. ISBN   979-8885046398.
  4. "Flextronics Buys NEXTracker for $330 Million". Greentech Media. 13 May 2024. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
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  7. Linder, Lauren (2024-04-26). "JM Steel announces expansion in Pittsburgh area as demand for solar energy increases - CBS Pittsburgh". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
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  10. "Solar tech firm Nextracker raises $638 mln in upsized U.S. IPO". Reuters. 8 February 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
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  13. "MSN". www.msn.com. Retrieved 2025-11-05.
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  37. Agency, funding from the Australian Renewable Energy; Rocky, To Enable Solar Deployment on; Foley, hard soil sites Ev (2025-10-31). "Nextracker unveils Earth Truss system for uneven Australian terrain". pv magazine International. Retrieved 2025-11-05.
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  39. Doll, Brian (2025-10-01). "Sol Systems unveils largest project to date with Eldorado Solar Project". Southern Illinoisan. Retrieved 2025-11-05.
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  42. "Nextracker cuts solar tracker carbon by 35% with recycled steel and electric furnaces". pv magazine USA. 2024-04-23. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  43. "Nextracker Launches Industry's First Low Carbon Solar Tracker Solution". Yahoo Finance. 2024-04-23. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  44. "Nextracker and NREL Partnership Inspires New Look at PV Tracker Industry Design Standards". National Renewable Energy Laboratory. 29 August 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
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