ARENA backs Nextracker to localize NX Earth Truss foundations nationwide

• ARENA will provide up to AUD 4.96m to help Nextracker introduce and localize its NX Earth Truss solar foundation system in Australia, aiming to cut costs, speed builds, and boost resilience.

Australia’s Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has committed up to AUD 4.96 million to support Nextracker in bringing its NX Earth Truss solar foundation technology to the local market, a move tailored to Australian soils, supply chains, and weather extremes. The funding is designed to de-risk first deployments, accelerate learning curves with EPCs, and encourage local fabrication where feasible.

NX Earth Truss is a ground-mount foundation system that replaces individual piles with an interconnected truss. By spreading loads across multiple points, it can reduce pile count, handle variable geotechnical conditions, and maintain tracker alignment in challenging sites—think collapsible soils, shallow rock, or flood-prone areas. Fewer piles and less rework can translate into faster schedules, lower capex per watt, and better tolerance to construction surprises.

Why it matters in Australia: the next wave of utility-scale solar must build at higher cadence while labor, grid gear, and piling rigs remain tight. Foundation risk is often a schedule killer—unexpected refusal rates, remediation, and alignment issues ripple through the program. A system that cuts pile numbers, tolerates soil variability, and simplifies QA/QC can pull weeks off critical paths. It also pairs well with grid-forming trackers that need precise geometry for long life in high-wind regions.

ARENA’s support will fund demonstration sites across different soil classes, third-party verification of structural performance, and training for local EPC crews. Expect a focus on standardized test protocols, pull-out and lateral resistance data, and construction metrics such as piles per megawatt, crew productivity, and remediation rates. If results hold, developers could standardize on the system for new buildouts, benefiting from portfolio-level repeatability.

Local content is part of the pitch. Truss components and ancillary steelwork are candidates for domestic fabrication, reducing logistics risk and supporting regional manufacturing. As Australia scales Renewable Energy Zones, a proven, faster-to-install foundation could help synchronize solar delivery with transmission upgrades and battery commissioning.

Bottom line: foundations are unglamorous but decisive. ARENA’s grant gives Nextracker and Australian builders a controlled path to validate NX Earth Truss at scale—turning geotech uncertainty into predictable, bankable construction.