April 21, 2026
United Bakery has chosen to bake its iconic sourdough bread and other products with electricity generated on site Mechatron solar energy dual-axis tracker technology that will reduce electricity bills by 83%.
The 13 M18KD-20 Dual-Axis Carport Trackers that recently started generating power are expected to provide a three-year return on investment, notes Michael Fakukakis, CEO of Stockton, California-based Mechatron Solar. Together the trackers will produce 1,273 MWh of electricity per year.
The footprint of the M18KD Mechatron tracker’s concrete pillar is only 10 square meters, minimizing impact on land use and vehicle movements. The trackers’ single-pillar architecture enables dual-land use, allowing both bakery and solar harvesting on the same plot, with potential for electric vehicle charging.
Looking for the highest energy density
Dual-axis trackers offer the highest energy density of any mounting design for the solar industry, with the Mechatron M18KD being the largest, supporting up to 90 panels. The system’s power generation is boosted by the use of bifacial solar panels, which provide a double-digit increase over standard monofacial panels of the same size and number, thanks to the elevation of the tracker panel table, with a trailing edge at 4.5 meters.
One key to the adoption of Mechatron’s dual-axis technology was the 30% federal tax credit, which has now expired. “Even without the federal tax benefit, our trackers make tremendous financial sense and will pay for themselves within a few years,” said Ted Ronshausen, the company’s chief commercial officer.
Mechatron has continued to consolidate its global sourcing network to focus on competitive US suppliers. “We manufacture the M18KD at our Stockton facility in Northern California and are proud to say that our trackers are Made in America to 2022 US Treasury IRA Domestic Content Bonus Credit specifications.”
M18KD Dual-Axis Tracker provides reliability
In addition to delivering the highest energy yield in the solar energy sector, the Mechatron trackers are also extremely reliable, Fakukakis emphasizes. “Mechatron Solar trackers offer the highest reliability in the industry, with a proven uptime of 99.6% across our installed fleet of 90 MW of projects in Europe and North America over the last 15 years,” he says.
The unusually high-yield M18KD tracker generates 40% more energy than ground-mounted solar panels and 20% more than single-axis arrays. With a single mast, the tracker also has the smallest land footprint in the global solar market, ideal for vineyards, carports and other locations with limited terrain.
Each M18KD tracker supports 72 large format 600W solar panels, generating 42.2 kWdc on a single pole. With a ground coverage of up to 50%, the M18KD solution only requires 4 hectares per MW of array.
The gearless, hydraulic design drives more through 360 degrees of azimuth rotation and 60 degrees of zenith inclination. The M18KD tracker is highly weather resistant and can withstand wind gusts of up to 185 km/h. The M18KD can also withstand snow loads approaching 35 psf, although snow loads are typically dissipated using automated snow sensors and motion management software.
Using double-sided solar panels, the Mechatron Solar tracker has shown an increase in energy yield ranging from 13% in California to 24% in Saskatchewan. The dual-axis M18KD tracker collects more reflected light on the bottom of the solar panels than lower, fixed-mount and single-axis trackers. It also collects more light than smaller dual-axis trackers with lower tables.
Mechatron Solar has completed a Black & Veatch Bankability Report as well as a UL 3703 Certification Standards Evaluation by Solar PTL. The company’s expanded manufacturing facility now has an annual production capacity of 200 MW of trackers
Tags: commercial and industrial, dual axis solar tracker, Mechatron Solar
