A 100MW solar farm in Texas will mount panels directly on the ground---- Link copied to clipboardThe 100-megawatt utility-scale solar project just announced by Erthos is not even close to the largest solar project currently being developed in the U.S., but it will be the only large solar farm with panels installed directly on the ground, without elevated steel racking or trackers.The company’s system is unique, as we reported:It’s a radical innovation that challenges a basic architectural tenet of utility-scale solar — and the $3 billion business of trackers and racking.Erthos contends that its design requires “only light civil engineering,” with a system that can be used in different topographies with little need to grade, making it simpler to install than other systems.From 2010 to 2021, the levelized cost of installing utility-scale solar fell 88% thanks to economies of scale, better technology and supply-chain improvements, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency.Ion Yadigaroglu of Capricorn Investment Group, which led Erthos’ financing round earlier this year, told Canary Media in March that he believes the company can lower large-scale solar installation costs by 20 percent by eliminating steel racking with its new structural approach."