FTC Solar's SUNPATH tracker software clears Enertis third-party review

FTC Solar (Nasdaq: FTCI) has published the results of an independent technical validation of its SUNPATH tracker optimisation software, conducted by Enertis Applus+, a global engineering and consulting firm specialising in renewables. The evaluation assessed operating utility-scale solar projects in the United States, comparing energy gains estimated by SUNPATH's modelling tool against gains measured in the field.

Across three sites, modelled and measured gains came within approximately 0.5 percentage points of each other. Measured energy gains reached up to 2.65%, compared with modelled gains of up to 3.15% over the corresponding evaluation periods. Enertis Applus+ concluded that SUNPATH demonstrated a level of accuracy and consistency appropriate for its intended use and in line with industry standards required for the underwriting of production gains.

How SUNPATH works

SUNPATH optimises tracker positioning through two complementary strategies. The first, Terrain-Based Backtracking, uses site-specific elevation data and tracker geometry to adjust panel angles across uneven ground, reducing row-to-row shading that standard backtracking algorithms can produce. The second, Diffuse Optimisation, repositions trackers during overcast or diffuse-light conditions to capture additional irradiance, drawing on weather forecasts and site data without requiring extra row-level sensors or a machine-learning warm-up period.

The expected production gain from either strategy varies by site, depending on terrain, ground coverage ratio and local weather patterns. Accurate pre-construction modelling of those gains matters because project lenders and independent engineers typically require credible energy estimates before committing capital.

Anthony Carroll, president and chief executive of FTC Solar, said the validation gives customers "greater confidence that the additional production estimated from SUNPATH will translate into measurable performance in the field" and provides a stronger basis for those gains to be incorporated into a project's production assumptions.

Market context

Tracker software is a growing competitive front in the utility-scale solar market. Hardware trackers have become broadly commoditised, and vendors including FTC Solar, Nextracker and Array Technologies are increasingly differentiating on the intelligence layer: algorithms that squeeze additional yield from the same physical equipment. Independent validation of software-derived energy gains is becoming a commercial necessity rather than a marketing exercise, because project financiers and insurance underwriters demand auditable, third-party-verified production assumptions before they will price risk.

For developers and their lenders, the gap between modelled and measured yield is a key bankability metric. A 0.5 percentage-point variance between model and field measurement, if that holds across a broader portfolio of sites, is a reasonably tight tolerance for yield-assurance purposes, though the evaluation covered only three sites and a limited number of operating periods. FTC Solar has not disclosed the rated capacity of the sites assessed, the duration of each evaluation window, or the geographic diversity of the sample, all of which bear on how broadly the findings can be extrapolated.

The validation arrives as US solar developers face growing pressure to optimise generation from existing land and interconnection positions rather than adding new capacity. Grid-connection queues in key regions remain congested, pushing developers to extract more yield from already-contracted sites. Software-led performance gains, if reliably modelled and independently verified, can improve project-level returns without requiring additional capital expenditure on hardware.

FTC Solar, founded in 2017, offers trackers, engineering services and software across international markets. The company said further information on SUNPATH is available through its website and direct contact with its sales team. No new commercial contracts or financial milestones were disclosed alongside this validation announcement.