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Manufacturer Spotlight: Unirac’s New Generation of Racking Makes Solar System Installation Even Easier

In their NXT Horizon racking system, Unirac’s engineers focused on shorter install times, safer roof requirements, and an aesthetically pleasing look to appeal to homeowners

by | Apr 12, 2022 | Product Spotlight, Product Webinars, Residential Solar, Storage, Video, Webinar

Racking remains a critical component of every successful and safe PV system installation, but many solar contractors are looking for more than just the equipment to do the job. Racking standardizations and crew training allow contractors to also prioritize time efficiency in their installations. This is where Unirac, one of the leading companies providing solar racking systems in North America, comes in.

BayWa r.e. Solar Systems is your source for solar product information and support. Read more in our Solar r.e. view Magazine

Over the last 22 years, Unirac has brought several innovations to the PV racking industry. With their RM and SFM solutions Unirac became an industry standard for quality. Today, Unirac continues to gather feedback from solar installers and homeowners about how their residential solutions can be enhanced. Based on positive reactions to their FLASHLOC attachment, Unirac’s engineering team realized that solar installers need another option for solar racking that combines time efficient installations with the TRIPLE SEAL technology first seen with FLASHLOC. Armed with this information, Unirac set out to develop that system.

NXT Horizon® is the culmination of over two decades of Unirac engineering experience and customer feedback gathering. Designed around the solar installer, every feature of this new racking system is purposefully crafted to present a simpler, safer roof experience, as well as a shorter installation time and a dynamic, clean look that homeowners are sure to appreciate.

Ernest Gallegos, Director of Products at Unirac, believes that NXT Horizon can be the answer to installer requests. “There’s not just one feature to get excited about; it really is the complete package. NXT Horizon is the combination of everything. It is an all-in-one system rigorously engineered and tested for strength and reliability, and to be simple to assemble.”

The system is unique in how it combines multiple elements in each component. One of the most striking differences of NXT Horizon in comparison to other Unirac products is the strong, light, open channel rail that holds up to eight wires for simple wire management.

A ton of research went into optimizing the rail. Wire management is one of the toughest challenges on the roof, and a large goal was to minimize the difficulty. Combine this with the other features and accessories, and this saves the installer a large amount of time and headaches
Ernest Gallegos

Director of Products, Unirac

Additionally, NXT Horizon’s universal module clamps and rail accessories are specially designed to minimize SKU count. The click-in clamp installation purposely integrates to ensure flexibility and versatility in the array layout. And, because of its lighter-weight construction and fewer parts NXT Horizon is easier to transport across locations, as well as up on to rooftops. All of this contributes to less time on the roof for each project so that more jobs can be scheduled in a day.
“At the end of the day, it dramatically simplifies the lives of our customers,” Peter Lorenz, President and CEO of Unirac commented when referring to the advantages of the NXT Horizon racking system. “This means two things: it can be installed much faster, and it can be installed at a much higher quality.”

Unirac also considered the new system’s impact on the homeowner during its product design process. “It offers the safety, reliability, peace-of-mind, and visual appeal that will give our installers overwhelming homeowner satisfaction,” Mr. Gallegos explained.

  • Less time and fewer boots on the roof mean less inconvenience to the homeowner
  • Open-slot Stronghold™ Attachments are flashing-free, leave a smaller footprint (with surprisingly high load capacity), and provide 100% waterproofing
  • Refined aesthetic, sleek finishing touches, and cleanly managed wires provide great curb appeal.

An SME Perspective:

“NXT Horizon elegantly combines technology we first saw in FlashLoc with an innovative new approach to flashing free roof attachment. Module attachment and cable management are addressed with a small number of multi functional components in a way that will simplify and speed up installation day.”

Aaron Bingham

Product Manager BayWa r.e. Solar Systems

In addition to the benefits of NXT Horizon racking system, Unirac offers their customers significant added value by consistently looking for ways to help installers succeed. To this end, they offer design layout support, crew training, and product support to all customers. For the NXT Horizon system specifically, contractors can get a free permitting planset design by emailing nxtpermits@unirac.com. Unirac also offers a Permitting Program, accessible through their website and designed to help customers manage the logistics and paperwork involved in the permitting/installation process. Finally, The Master Installer Program and Certified Installer Program offer a collection of training courses and detailed tutorials as part of Unirac’s ongoing mission to build a partnership with installers who use their products.

“NXT Horizon delivers what Unirac is about to the market: the best combination of reliability, speed, and aesthetics that inspires the confidence of installers and homeowners,” Lorenz says. “I am confident that NXT Horizon will be the answer for many of our partners and we are here to support them at every step.”

NXT Horizon® is now available to order and will come with the same best-in-class lead times that Unirac is known for (less than one week at the time of this writing).

Reach out to your BayWa r.e. Account Manager to learn more about NXT Horizon or head to our webstore to place your first order.

Learn More About Unirac

Unirac’s Supporting Tools:

Discover NXT Horizon

Unirac Permitting Program

Master Installer Program

Certified Installer Program

BayWa r.e. Solar Distribution supplies residential and commercial solar installers in the United States with quality solar + storage components, forecasting, business planning advice, and a community of experts. Visit www.solar-distribution.com to engage with our team, read our industry insights articles, and stream our Solar Tech Talk podcasts and recorded webinars on YouTube and Spotify. Follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook to stay connected. Ask us about our Financing Program and use our industry-leading Webstore to save time, get gear shipped, and get jobs done! 

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