Four solar projects using a direct-to-ground mounting system were completed in California. The arrays are Earth Mount Solar systems from Erthos, which don’t use steel mounting structures, such as trackers, and are instead built by placing solar modules directly on the ground.

Without racking panel rows, Erthos projects reduce the total system footprint and claim to increase total array output. The projects totaling 2.2 MW were built by OneSun Power, developed by White Pine Renewables and acquired by Directional services.

“Erthos technology is truly a step forward in solar technology innovation. By executing on the Olam Food portfolio, Erthos has demonstrated an ability to turn projects that would not have worked with a conventional racking solution into viable assets using its innovative technology. White Pine has been proud to partner with Erthos over the past two years to ensure that we deliver for our customers – even in the most challenging circumstances,” said Michael Kremer, managing partner and co-founder at White Pine Renewables.

Energy from the plants will be purchased under power purchase agreements by Teapot Dome Water District and Olam Food Ingredients. Erthos expects to have over 40 MW of additional projects under contract by the end of the year.

“This marks another stage in our rapid market adoption,” said Jim Tyler, CEO of Erthos. “As with our first deployment a year ago, with these new projects online, we are seeing immediate and continued validation of our plant performance. Energy production, thermal performance, and the efficacy of the ErthBot cleaning robot are all supported by the data coming in from these plants.”