Solar Panel Trackers: How Solar Tracking Boosts Energy Output, and When It Fits in Hawaii

Solar Panel Trackers: How Solar Tracking Boosts Energy Output, and When It Fits in Hawaii

A solar panel tracker is a mount that turns your panels to follow the sun. That way they collect more light from morning to late afternoon. Trackers now sit under almost every new large solar farm in the U.S., and several utility-scale projects here on Oʻahu use them. Homeowners and business owners naturally ask the next question: would a tracker help my system too?

Our team has installed solar in Hawaii since 1993, with more than 59 MW across the islands. Below we explain how solar tracking works, how much extra energy it really produces, where the market is heading, and why most Hawaii homes still do better with a well-designed fixed system.

What Is a Solar Panel Tracker?

A solar tracker is a racking system with motors, gears and a controller that tilts solar panels toward the sun throughout the day. A standard rooftop system is fixed. Its panels stay at the angle and direction of your roof. A tracker rotates the panels from east to west as the sun moves, and some designs also adjust for the sun's height as the seasons change.

Panels produce the most power when sunlight hits them head-on. The longer a panel faces the sun directly, the more energy it collects.

How Much More Energy Does Solar Tracking Produce?

Over fixed-tilt systems, tracking typically raises energy production by about 15–35% with single-axis trackers and 25–50% with dual-axis trackers, according to the University of Michigan's Center for Sustainable Systems. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's 2025 data on U.S. utility-scale solar found that single-axis tracking adds more than five percentage points to a project's capacity factor in the regions it studied.

The gain comes from three places:

• A wider production curve. A fixed panel peaks around midday. A tracker turns to meet the morning and late-afternoon sun, so output stays high for more of the day.

• More energy from the same panels. You get more kilowatt-hours by changing where the panels point, without adding panels.

• A better match to evening demand. Stronger late-afternoon production lines up more closely with when homes and businesses use the most power.

Your actual gain depends on latitude, cloud patterns, shading, terrain and tracker type. That's why published figures cover such a wide range. Manufacturers of small consumer kits often advertise the top of the range. Real-world gains on a cloudy or shaded site land lower.

Types of Solar Trackers

Single-Axis Trackers

Single-axis trackers rotate on one axis, usually running north to south, so panels swing from east to west during the day. They're simpler, cheaper to build and easier to maintain than dual-axis units, and they dominate utility-scale solar. In Berkeley Lab's 2025 data, 99% of new U.S. utility-scale projects used single-axis tracking.

Dual-Axis Trackers

Dual-axis trackers follow both the sun's daily path and its seasonal height, so they aim more precisely. The trade-off is more moving parts, more space and higher installation and service costs. You'll see them mostly in specialty, research and concentrated-solar projects, and in small off-grid kits.

Solar Trackers in Hawaii: Where They're Already Working

Trackers are already part of Hawaii's grid at utility scale. Tracker maker Soltec supplied 2,068 of its trackers for a 56 MW ground-mount project on Oʻahu owned by the AES Corporation. The project has 108,192 PV modules and is paired with battery storage. Soltec says it has supplied about 210 MW of trackers in Hawaii, with projects on Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi Island, Maui and Oʻahu. It chose a design suited to steep slopes, rolling hills and tight parcels, which are common conditions on the islands.

All of these share open land, large arrays and professional crews to maintain the moving parts. Most homes don't have those.

Is a Solar Tracker Worth It for a Hawaii Home?

For a typical Oʻahu home, usually not. The reasons are practical:

• Your roof doesn't move. Rooftop trackers are rare. They add weight and wind load and complicate roof penetrations.

• Wind and salt air. Motors and bearings exposed to trade winds and coastal corrosion need more frequent service.

• Space. Ground-mount trackers need open yard space with good row spacing, which most residential lots don't have.

• Permits and interconnection. Ground-mount and non-standard equipment can add steps to county permitting and Hawaiian Electric review.

• Better value elsewhere. The money a tracker costs usually buys more benefit as extra panels, better modules or battery storage.

Under Hawaiian Electric's current programs, when you use your solar energy often matters as much as how much you produce. A battery such as a Tesla Powerwall stores daytime production for the evening and for outages. It moves your energy into the hours when it's worth most, much like a tracker's late-afternoon boost. See how panels, inverters and batteries work together in our overview of how solar works in Hawaii. For utility programs that reward storage, visit our HECO battery program page.

What About Commercial Properties on Oʻahu?

Commercial owners sometimes have open land or large parking areas, which makes tracking at least worth a look. Even so, most commercial projects on Oʻahu use fixed rooftop arrays or solar carports. These use space that's already built on, keep maintenance predictable, and make project costs easier to forecast. A tracker deserves a closer financial comparison only when you have suitable open ground and enough array size to cover the extra equipment and upkeep.

The Solar Tracker Market: Where It's Heading

Market research firms track solar trackers as their own segment of the power generation industry. MarketsandMarkets valued the global solar tracker market at about USD 10.32 billion in 2024 and projects USD 22.87 billion by 2029, a compound annual growth rate of 17.3%. Other firms measure the market differently and publish very different totals. Treat any single forecast as a direction of travel, not a precise figure. These are global, utility-scale numbers, so they won't tell a homeowner anything about budgeting.

Reports generally split the market by:

• Axis type: single-axis (the larger share) and dual-axis

• Application: utility-scale (the largest segment) and commercial or industrial

• Technology: standard photovoltaic and concentrated photovoltaic

• Connection: mostly grid-connected, with a smaller off-grid segment

• Region: Asia Pacific is often named the fastest-growing region, with North America close behind

What's driving growth: clean energy targets, steady investment in large solar farms where every extra kilowatt-hour per panel matters, and smarter tracker controls that adjust panel angles for weather, wind and shading.

What holds it back: higher upfront cost than fixed racking, more complex installation, ongoing maintenance of motors and moving parts, and space needs that rule out rooftops and tight lots.

Getting the Most From a Fixed System

If a tracker isn't the right fit, you can still get strong production from your property:

• Smart layout. Put panels on the roof planes with the best sun exposure and the least shade.

• Roof condition first. A sound roof means you won't have to remove panels later for repairs. Our in-house crews handle roofing as well as solar.

• Battery storage. Shift daytime energy into the evening and keep essentials running during outages.

• Monitoring and maintenance. Catch a drop in production early instead of months later.

Incentives and Tax Credits in 2026

Solar incentives changed significantly over the past year. The 30% federal residential clean energy credit no longer applies to home systems installed after December 31, 2025. In Hawaii, Act 24 of 2026 (SB 3125) reshaped the state's Renewable Energy Technologies Income Tax Credit. It added a site-specificillion annual statewide cap, income thresholds and a new certification requirement. The Hawaii Department of Taxation explained the changes in Tax Information Release 2026-02.

What you qualify for depends on your income, your timing and the type of system. Our guide to Hawaii solar tax credits and incentives covers the details, and a qualified tax professional can tell you how the rules apply to you.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much more power does a solar tracker produce?

Compared with fixed-tilt panels, single-axis trackers typically produce about 15–35% more energy and dual-axis trackers about 25–50% more. Actual results depend on location, weather, shading and terrain.

Is a solar tracker worth it for a home?

Rarely. For most homes, especially on Oʻahu rooftops, the money is better spent on extra panels, quality equipment or battery storage. Trackers make the most sense on large ground-mount projects with open land.

Can you put solar trackers on a roof?

It's uncommon. Trackers add weight, wind load and moving parts to a roof, and they complicate penetrations and permitting. Nearly all trackers are ground-mounted.

Is a single-axis or dual-axis tracker better?

Dual-axis trackers aim more precisely and produce more. Single-axis trackers are simpler, cheaper and easier to maintain, which is why nearly all new utility-scale solar farms use them.

Are solar trackers used in Hawaii?

Yes, at utility scale. For example, a 56 MW ground-mount solar-plus-storage project on Oʻahu uses single-axis trackers, and trackers are installed on all four major islands.

Do solar trackers need more maintenance?

Yes. Motors, bearings and controllers need regular service, and Hawaii's trade winds and salt air add wear.

How do I know which system fits my property?

Start with a site visit. Your roof's condition, shading, energy use and Hawaiian Electric program all shape the design, so pricing and output depend on your property.

Talk With a Local Solar Team

Solar trackers play a big part in how utility-scale plants generate electricity, including here in Hawaii. The best system for your home or building depends on your roof, your land and your goals. Our in-house crews have designed and installed solar in Hawaii for more than three decades, and we're a Tesla Premier Installer. When you're ready, request a free solar estimate or call us at (808) 842-5853.