TrueCapture
5.5/10Tracker control software from Nextpower (formerly Nextracker) that sets the angle of each solar tracker row to raise energy yield at utility-scale PV plants.
Data last updated November 2026 · Our methodology
Overview
TrueCapture is the control and yield-optimisation software for Nextpower's independent-row solar trackers. Nextpower is the company formerly called Nextracker, renamed in November 2025. It does not schedule maintenance. Instead, it decides where each tracker row should point. It combines row-level sensor data, weather information and a 3D digital twin of the built site, then sends tracking commands to each row. The modes include DiffuseBoost and Zonal Diffuse for cloudy or hazy conditions, SmartCapture and row-to-row backtracking to reduce shading on uneven terrain, and Split Boost for half-cell modules. NX Navigator is the companion monitoring and control interface. It adds hail, flood and snow stow modes and works as a plant HMI. The Nextracker NX Data Hub runs on site and passes tracker data to the owner's SCADA over OPC-UA. TrueCapture suits developers, independent power producers and asset owners who run utility-scale plants on Nextpower NX Horizon, Horizon XTR and, as of 2026, NX Gemini trackers. Existing Nextracker fleets can be upgraded, as D. E. Shaw Renewable Investments did across 15 operating projects. Prices are not published. Licences are sold per project, often separately from the trackers, and trade press describes an evaluation on test blocks followed by pricing based on the measured energy gain. Nextpower claims gains of up to about 4% a year. Independent engineers, including Black & Veatch and DNV, have validated gains on specific sites, but the measured results vary a lot, from 0.63% to 2.2% in one published set. The main limitation is lock-in: the software only controls Nextpower's own trackers and cannot manage other vendors' hardware.
Our Rating
AI Software5.4/10
Industrial & Infrastructure Software5.6/10
Who TrueCapture is best for
Best software for Energy CompaniesGood fit
Built for utility-scale solar plant owners and operators to raise energy production on Nextpower tracker sites.
Sold project by project to large developers and investors such as DESRI, which applied it across a whole fleet.
Fits utilities that own large PV plants on Nextpower trackers, and the site control computer is described as meeting the NERC CIP-007 cybersecurity standard.
Less suited
Plant operations staff use NX Navigator for stow commands, monitoring and scheduling tracker positions for cleaning and mowing.
Only useful for utility-scale tracker plants built with Nextpower hardware.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Controls each tracker row separately, so only the part of the site under a passing cloud switches to diffuse mode (Zonal Diffuse rechecks every 2 minutes).
- A 3D digital twin of the built site supports shade-avoiding backtracking on sloped and uneven terrain.
- Independent engineers including Black & Veatch, DNV, Enertis and Leidos have validated field gains, which helps when financing projects.
- Can be retrofitted to operating Nextracker fleets, as DESRI did on 15 existing projects.
- NX Navigator adds hail, flood and snow stow modes that protect modules during severe weather.
- The on-site Data Hub sends tracker data to the plant's own SCADA over OPC-UA, and the control computer is described as meeting NERC CIP-007.
Cons
- Only works with Nextpower (Nextracker) trackers, so it cannot manage plants built on other vendors' hardware.
- No public prices; buyers have to go through an evaluation and a quote.
- Measured gains vary widely by site, from 0.63% at a Mexican plant to 2.2% at a Californian one, below the headline claim of up to 4%.
- No independent user reviews were found on mainstream software review sites, so buyers rely mostly on vendor case studies.
Key Features
TrueCapture Pricing
TrueCapture licence (per project)
- Often sold separately from the tracker hardware
- Pricing based on measured energy yield gain, by quote
- Advanced software licence that includes the NX Navigator HMI
- Can be evaluated on control blocks of an operating plant before purchase
Frequently Asked Questions
It runs on Nextpower's independent-row trackers, including NX Horizon and NX Horizon XTR. In June 2026 Nextpower said it would extend TrueCapture to its NX Gemini 2P tracker. It does not control trackers from other vendors.
Nextpower claims up to about 4% more energy a year, depending on the site. Independently measured results include 2.2% at Beacon 5 in California (Black & Veatch), 0.63% at Bluemex in Mexico, and 1.7% from Split Boost at Bancroft Station in Georgia.
No prices are published. According to trade press, Nextpower can install the software on test blocks of an operating plant, then offer pricing based on the measured yield gain. The licence is often sold separately from the trackers.
Yes, on plants that already use Nextracker trackers. D. E. Shaw Renewable Investments added TrueCapture and NX Navigator to its 15 operating Nextracker projects.
An on-site Linux-based industrial computer, the NX Data Hub, controls the trackers wirelessly and shares data with the owner's SCADA over OPC-UA. NX Navigator is hosted on the site network behind the plant firewall. Nextpower's datasheet says the plant-level control computer meets NERC CIP-007 cybersecurity standards.
NX Navigator is the monitoring and control interface. It shows tracker data at site, sub-field and row level, and lets operators stow the whole array for hail, snow, flood or high wind with a single command. It can also schedule tracker positions for cleaning and mowing. The advanced TrueCapture licence includes the Navigator HMI.
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